<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Last of The Fae by Trinis</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507805">The Last of The Fae</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trinis/pseuds/Trinis'>Trinis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Maleficent (Disney Movies), Maleficent - Fandom, Maleficent 2014, Maleficent Movie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Maleficent, F/F, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 03:40:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>64,504</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507805</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trinis/pseuds/Trinis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
            <p>This story is also posted on my second account on Quotev under the same name!</p>
          </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maleficent/Female OC, Maleficent/OC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This story is also posted on my second account on Quotev under the same name!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Long ago, the mighty Dark Fae ruled the world. They were seen everywhere, and feared by many. Some say that they were evil beasts that should be put down, while others say that they have every right to live among humans as any other being on the earth. But unfortunately for them, most humans agreed with the first party.</p><p>    The humans soon discovered that fairies, especially the Dark Fae, burned when they touched iron. A tundra Fae by the name of Eli, was burned by an iron chain that hung between two walls of a human fortress. The Fae haven’t known peace since that day.</p><p>    The humans pursued the Fae nonstop, using iron to kill them. Soon, the mighty Fae that once ruled the world, were now on the brink of extinction. Fae from the tundra, and tropics, the desert, the forest, and all the climates in between were driven from their homes.</p><p>    This went on for many generations, until one day, the leader of the Dark Fae, Queen Neshtie, lead all of her kind into a save haven. A ginormous cave, filled with all kinds of climates for everyone. They were all happy, thinking they were safe from the humans.</p><p>    But after many years after Neshtie’s death, people began to see the cave less of a haven, and more of a prison. Their children should be flying high above the trees and mountains, and feeling the coolness of the fluffy white clouds. But alas, they could only stay in one place.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    “It’ll be alright, Dawn,” The tropical Fae Cecil said. “You’ll do great,”</p><p>    Cecil wrapped a rainbow colored wing around his little 10 year old daughter, Dawn, shoulder. Dawn had feathered wings, which started as red on the top, and faded to yellow, then to green, then to blue on the bottom. All Faes from the jungle had feather wing patterns like this. Her little brown horns poked out of the sides of her head, and twisted above her head.</p><p>    Her skin was smooth and dark like her mother’s. At least, that was what her father had always said. Cecil had described her mother as a gorgeous, dark skinned woman, with long brown hair and scarlet eyes. She had never met her mother, and that had never bothered her. She was perfectly content with her father.</p><p>    Her scarlet eyes looked around nervously as she fiddled with her shoulder length brown hair. On her arms, were colorful stripes of paint, like all the other tropical Faes had. But unlike the others, she never liked the paint of her face, saying that it made her face itch.</p><p>    Dawn shifted uncomfortably on the lush green grass growing on the cliff. In front of her, was a powerful updraft. She watched as all of her peers spread their wings and left the updraft take them upwards. It was now her turn, and now she was nervous.</p><p>    She dug the ball of her bare foot into the moist grass nervously, “I don’t know if I can do this, father!”</p><p>    Cecil patted her shoulder in at attempt to comfort her. He smiled his warm smile at her. “You can do this, Dawn. I know you can,” After a pause, he added; “If you need any help, I’ll fly right down there and help you,”</p><p>    This seemed to calm Dawn down a bit. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Okay,”</p><p>    She stepped forward, her toes at the edge of the cliff. She felt the powerful updraft almost an inch away from her face. She swallowed, took a shaky breath, and jumped off.</p><p>    And then she began to fall.</p><p>    Dawn’s heart caught in her throat as she fell from the heavens, the furious winds thrashing her body as she flailed, the air trying to snap at her wings that briefly gave her purchase, but her tumbling body quickly pushed her closer to the ground. The world of the cave whirled around her as she fell.</p><p>    Dawn strained her eyes to focus on the ground below her. With sudden determination, she strained to force her wings to open wide. With a sudden yank on her wings, she world stopped spinning. She was shot directly upwards by the updraft. She laughed in triumph as she looked at her father.</p><p>    “Father!” She exclaimed. “Look! I’m flying, I’m flying!”</p><p>    Cecil’s nearly burst with pride for her daughter. “Yes!” He shouted with triumph. “I knew you could do it!”</p><p>    Dawn flipped her small body through the air, spinning slightly until she was pointing down towards the earth and tucking in her wings, her spine completely straight like an arrow, the wind – although roaring furiously around her – merely passed over her aerodynamic body, as she cut through the air like a serrated blade through flesh. Snapping her wings open, she leveled off and merely glided lazily along the air currents that lifted her.</p><p>    Cecil watched from afar, pride beaming off of his face as he smiled.</p><p>    “I’m surprised that she was able to do it,”</p><p>    Cecil whipped his head around, shocked by the words he had heard. His once proud face turned into a scowl.</p><p>    “Mandus,” He addressed the desert Fae coldly. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>    Mandus was the father of Borra and Lanma. He and Cecil had been the worst of enemies after what Mandus likes to call ‘The Sumna Incident,’ much to Cecil’s protests against the title.</p><p>    “I came to check the progress of our young ones,” Mandus said. “I’m surprised that your daughter would even learn how to fly, considering her lineage,”</p><p>    Anger burned in Cecil’s expressive eyes as he towered over the desert Fae menacingly. “Do not speak of her that way,” He hissed. “Have you forgotten what is rightfully hers?”</p><p>    Mandus scoffed. “Helam would never allow it. He earned his position, just like everyone before him,”</p><p>    “Dawn will do the same one day,” Cecil growled. “Just you wait,”</p><p>    Dawn soared around the lush green tropical climate of the cave. She could see out of the corner of her eye, the desert Fae children learning to fly just like her as well. She couldn’t help but feel proud of them as well. After all, this was their victory too.</p><p>    As she flew, Dawn noticed a tunnel opening on the wall. This wasn’t special, considering that there were thousands just like it. But this one was different. It felt as if something was pulling her towards it. She hovered closer to the entrance, peeking into the dark tunnel.</p><p>    “You shouldn’t be here,”</p><p>    Her heart gave a jolt when someone spoke behind her. She gasped and turned her head. It was Kedo, a highly respected tundra Fae, who was hovering behind her.</p><p>    “That tunnel leads to the outside, little one,” He said.</p><p>    “The outside?” Dawn asked in disbelief. She looked back at the tunnel, a smile on her face, “Woah!”</p><p>    “You must never go there,” Kedo warned her. “It is unfit for Fae. Especially one so young,”</p><p>    Dawn felt a little discouraged by the tundra Fae’s words. But she just nodded her head and flew back towards the tropical climate.</p><p>    She flew around the entire cave, until her father announced that it was time to come back home. She flew to her green burrow, which all tropical Faes lived in. The burrow itself hung from the failing of the cave. The other Faes didn’t see how the burrows would be comfortable, but Dawn liked them just fine.</p><p>    Dawn snuggled into her bed in the side of the round burrow. She faced her father, who was making his own bed.</p><p>    “Father?”</p><p>    Cecil’s long black hair shifted to the right side of his back as he turned to look at her. “Yes, Dawn?”</p><p>    “Can you tell me another story about the outside?”</p><p>    Cecil chuckled as he sat down on the edge of Dawn’s bed. “But you’ve heard it a million times,”</p><p>    Dawn held her nose up as she smiled. “Well I’d like to hear it a million <em>and one</em>times,”</p><p>    Cecil chuckled again as his daughter’s clever humor. “Alright, I shall tell you once more,”</p><p>    He cleared his throat before he began. “In the times of old... in the times of Neshtie, the outside was filled with Fae. In all corners of the world, you could meet them. Before the humans drove us out, we used to live in the most beautiful of places.</p><p>    “The tundra Fae would live in the icy cold mountains. The huge rocks would touch the sky, and they would be covered in white snow. The weather up high was harsh, and it stung you skin like needles. But on the ground, the snow fell in gentle flakes from the sky, covering the ground in soft white powder.</p><p>    “The desert Fae lived in the dry sea of sand. Burning hot sand would be scorched by the hot sun, and by the night, it would be icy cold. Although some would see a desert and see a wasteland, the Fae could see the beauty in it. The wind blew the sand along the surface, making the massive sand dunes ripple like the Atlantic Ocean. The cool night brought still weather, which was the prefect weather for flying. When you flew, you could see the twinkling stars and the bright moon shining as bright as ever.</p><p>    “But in all the world’s wonders, the jungles of the world were the most beautiful of all. The warm rays of the sun bared down upon the lush green landscape below. The sky was clear as a endless lake. The birds always chirped happily, filling the jungle with the soft melodies. The beautiful and brightly colored flowers littered the ground and trees, popping out from the green background,”</p><p>    Dawn sighed dreamily. “I hope I get to see all of that one day,”</p><p>    Cecil sighed. “I hope you do,”</p><p>    A pause.</p><p>    “Could you tell me about mother?” Dawn asked. “You don’t talk about her much, and I would like to know more about her,”</p><p>    Dawn couldn’t describe the look her father had in his eyes. He looked almost... hesitant and regretful. Almost like there was something about her mother that he didn’t want Dawn to find out about.</p><p>    “You will know more in time. But for now, try to get some sleep,” He kissed her forehead as he covered her up with a blanket.</p><p>    “Goodnight, Dawn,” He whispered.</p><p>    “Goodnight, father,” Dawn yawned sleepily.</p><p>    Cecil smiled as his daughter as he yawned himself. He crawled into his bed, his back facing Dawn. His wings went limp, and he fell asleep. All was quiet, and the only thing heard was the steady breathing of Cecil.</p><p>    Dawn opened her scarlet right eye. She smiled when she saw that her father was sound asleep. She smiled mischievously as she quietly got out of bed, and went to the round burrow opening. She spread her rainbow colored feathered wings, and with a silent clap on her wings, she took off into the night.</p><p>    Dawn soared through the silent cave, the different climates rushing below her. The massive cave was so different when mostly everyone was asleep. Although most were asleep, she could see the bright fires of adult Faes cooking dinner and chatting. Cecil said that Dawn could go next year, which she was looking forward to.</p><p>    She folded her wings as she soared upwards into a tunnel. As she entered, her shoulder bumped the side of the tunnel as she flew upwards. She soon exited the tunnel, which lead to a round dark room.</p><p>    There was a dim stream of light that only slightly illuminated the dark room. She followed the dim light, which lead to yet another tunnel. Instead of flying, Dawn crawled through it.</p><p>    When she emerged, mist greeted her. She took in a breath of fresh air as she opened her eyes. She almost laughed in disbelief when she saw the vast ocean in front of her. It was dark, but there was no mistake where she was.</p><p>    “I’m... I’m outside!” Dawn said in disbelief.</p><p>    She stood on the edge of a cliff as she took in the scents of the salty sea mists that splashed her face. She took in the beautiful sight of the stars and the full moon. They were more beautiful than she had ever imagined.</p><p>    The wind blew, making her hair blow to the side like a kite. Her rainbow feathers ruffled against the wind as well.</p><p>    She felt the wind pick up some more, making her stumble to the side a bit. She suddenly felt the strong urge to spread her wings and fly outside for the first time. She wouldn’t take long, she thought. She’d only fly for about a minute, then she’ll go back inside.</p><p>    The wind was stronger than ever before, making the ocean waved taller and taller by the second. Dawn was about to spread her wings, when a huge wave splashed against the side of the cliff. She screamed and fell on her back. She got up, panting. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. She looked up and saw that the sky was completely covered in dark clouds like a blanket.</p><p>    A huge boom thundered through the sky, followed by a flash of light, then a deafening crack, almost like a huge whip. Dawn screamed and looked up at the sky, not knowing that she had just experience lightning and thunder.</p><p>    “Dawn!”</p><p>    She turned around, and saw her father crawl up from the small tunnel she had just gone through not so long ago.</p><p>    “Daddy?” She asked over the whipping wind.</p><p>    Before Cecil could react, a flash of lightning blinded the two of them, and a huge wave crashed against the side of the cliff.</p><p>    In a span of one second, the force of the wave cracked the cliffside. Cecil yelled as the cliff gave out, and Dawn fell into the sea. She screamed out to her father as he plummeted downwards, arms outstretched towards her.</p><p>    Another crack of lightning, and the cold ocean swallowed Dawn whole. And she knew no more.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn awoke to a awful headache.</p><p>    As she opened her eyes, she was blinded by light that sent shards of pain aching across her skull, searing the inside of her head. So many sounds filtered through her ears that she was confused, and tuned them all out. She breathed through her mouth until she could regain her composure.</p><p>    Slowly, she opened her eyes again, one hand raised to shield herself from the sunlight. As she blinked herself into the land of the living, a headache crashed through her mind with a constant, throbbing agony.</p><p>    She now observed that she was washed up on a shore. She lifted up her soggy wings as she crawled away from the water. She always imagined the sea to be wonderful, but now she realized how awful if could be.</p><p>    She looked around her, and saw that there was a forest ahead of her. She slowly got up from the muddy ground, her damp and muddy wings heavy on her back.</p><p>    Her heart and stomach both gave a horrible lurch when she remembered something. Her father! She scanned the river, desperate to find him. It was then when she saw a hazy figure in the water.</p><p>    “Father!”</p><p>    Dawn ran towards the river, her soggy wings dragging behind her. She dragged her father out of the fiver the best she could. When his upper body was up on the shore, she dropped him, completely exhausted. She rolled his heavy body over onto his back.</p><p>    His eyes were closed, and his wet hair was plastered to his face. He stirred. His eyes opened halfway. When he caught sight of Dawn, his eyes were glistening joyously. Feebly, he raised his head from the ground a mere centimeter. Yet despite the fact that he was battered, broken, and inches from death, he bore the biggest smile Dawn had ever seen him wear.</p><p>    “Dawn...” He squeezed the word out. He took her hands and squeezed it weakly. “I’m glad I was able to save you...”</p><p>    Dawn hung her head, tears falling from her eyes, staining the ground below. Her desperation to ensure her father’s survival was so great and yet there was no way for her desires to become reality.</p><p>    Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Oh, daddy...” She said through her tears. “I’m sorry,”</p><p>    Cecil lifted his head a bit higher, and it was clear that it was a tremendous effort for him to do so. He shook violently and he winced at the slightest inclination of pain. He wearily raised a hand to Dawn’s chin and lifted her head so that she was staring blearily into his own sparkling eyes.</p><p>    “Don’t be sorry,” He chuckled, wincing as another wave of pain shocked him. “I gave you hope that you would see the outside...” His neck quivered as his head fell to the ground again, unable to lift his head anymore.</p><p>    Dawn took his hand into his own, and held it against her cheek. She clenched her teeth and shut her eyes painfully.</p><p>    “Father...” She whispered. “Don't leave me here...”</p><p>    Dawn’s words broke Cecil’s heart. “I will never leave you, Dawn. I will always watch over you...”</p><p>    Another wave of pain shocked his system as he groaned painfully. “My time is short. Perhaps you will not see me, but I will always be here to guide you. I go now to your mother... and I will stand watching you. Don’t cry because you have lost me. Nothing is ever lost, only gained,” He lifted his head once again, “I know I’m asking you to grow up fast, and for that I am deeply sorry. But you need to move on,” He held back another groan of pain before he continued. “Now look to the future... and tend to it...” His hand began to slip from Dawn’s hand, “I love you...”</p><p>    And then, his chest rose and fell one final time. His eyes closed slowly, a smile still beautifully frozen on his face. His head, which was still risen a few inches up, softly fell to the ground.</p><p>    What followed was the most miserable moments of Dawn’s life. Her tears fell and flowed freely, pooling in the ground below. Like a tsunami crashing onto a beach, the emotion overwhelmed her and she fell to the ground, unable to stand. She lay herself across his unmoving side and wept into his hair.</p><p>    She blamed herself. This was all her fault. If she would have just stayed put, then her father would still be alive. She had no desire to leave her father’s side. She stayed there until the had no more tears left to cry.</p><p>    With burning eyes, Dawn looked upwards. Through her blurry vision, she saw the trees of the forest move. She then saw a hand reach towards her, and then there was black.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Moors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    When Dawn came to her senses, it felt as if her head was spinning. Her eyes remaining shut, she reached up and cupped her ears, willing her head to remain still. As she shifted, she felt something soft move underneath her. She opened her eyes.</p><p>    A great amount of trees and green leaves were suspended high above her, and just visible through them was the sun’s rays illuminating the blue sky. Slowly, she sat up and looked around. She was lying in the middle of a clearing in a grand and lush forest. She had been lying on a large mound of leaves, which had shifted when she moved around.</p><p>    This place was so beautiful and peaceful. To describe it in a word; paradise.</p><p>    “Am I dead?” She said aloud to nobody.</p><p>    “Far from it,” Came a soft voice from behind her.</p><p>    She gasped as she jolted at the unexpected voice. Quickly turning, she saw someone approach her.</p><p>    Before her, was a Fae like herself. She had long brown hair, and pale skin. Her horns curled up from the sides of her head. Her lips were painted a stunning red, and her gorgeous golden eyes lit up as she smiled. Her huge brown wings dragged behind her as she walked. She looked about Dawn’s age, if not a bit older.</p><p>    “You’re like me...” The female Fae said. She said it in such a way, which made it sound like she had never seen another Fae before.</p><p>    Dawn found her voice. “Where am I?” She demanded to know.</p><p>    “You’re in the Moors,” The Fae informed her.</p><p>    “The Moors...” Dawn repeated as she looked at her surroundings once again. She looked at the Fae again. “Who are you?”</p><p>    “I’m Maleficent,” The Fae said as she smiled.</p><p>    “I’m Dawn...” Her eyes went wide. “Where is my father?!”</p><p>    Maleficent’s face fell. “That was your father?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we found him dead. We buried him,”</p><p>    Dawn felt her heart break all over again. She found her voice again. “Thank you for burying him,” She said, still looking at the ground. “That was very generous,”</p><p>    After a few moments of silence, Maleficent spoke again. “Are you going to be alright?”</p><p>    Dawn nodded slowly as she sniffed. “Yes... I just... can’t believe he’s gone...”</p><p>    “I’m sorry,” Maleficent said, “Truly I am...”</p><p>    Dawn smiled slowly at the Fae. “Thank you...”</p><p>    Maleficent cleared her throat, “I hope it’s okay... but the others wanted to meet you,”</p><p>    Dawn raised a curious eyebrow, “Others?”</p><p>    As if on cue, colorful fairies and creatures of all kinds peeked out from behind the trees, bushes and leaves. They came in all shapes and sizes, and all of them whispered to each other as they looked at Dawn.</p><p>    Three fairies came rushing out from the trees, all of them talking very excitedly to each other. One was dressed in pink rose petals from head to toe. The second was dressed in a dandelion fuzz skirt and hat. The third had blue petals for a dress and hat, and she had small blue butterflies fluttering around her head.</p><p>    They spoke all at once.</p><p>    “Oh my goodness!”</p><p>    “Another fairy like Maleficent!”</p><p>    “I’m so excited!”</p><p>    They all flew straight as Dawn. When they reached her, they all began inspecting her.</p><p>    “I love your hair!”</p><p>    “Look how pretty she is!”</p><p>    “Her wings are gorgeous!”</p><p>    Dawn couldn’t help but feel a confidence boost after all those compliments. “Thanks,” She said.</p><p>    “Oh, where are our manners?” The one dressed in pink said. “I am Knotgrass, my dear,”</p><p>    The green one pushed Knotgrass out of the way, “I’m Thistlewit!”</p><p>    Thistlewit got shoved out of the way as well by the blue pixie. “And I’m Flittle,”</p><p>    Knotgrass and Thistlewit both shoved at Flittle at the same time, nearly knocking her out of the air. The blue pixie regained her flight pattern, and glared at the other two angrily.</p><p>    Dawn laughed softly. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you...”</p><p>    Maleficent laughed as well. “Pixies, you learn to love them,”</p><p>    The two Faes laughed at Maleficent’s quip. The other fairies and creatures now came out of hiding and greeted Dawn. She was amazed at the vast variety of the creatures of the Moors. There were water fairies, luminous blue creatures with a tiny mermaid-like body. Wallerbogs, creatures with tiny bodies and small trunks, their body color varies from blue to beige, and they all seemed very playful. Hedgehog fairies had a tiny body with hedgehog-like appearances. Mushroom Faeries had an elderly appearance and their body is covered in mushrooms. Leaf Fairies were almost like little leaves. And there were so many more that Dawn couldn’t keep up with them.</p><p>    Dawn felt so welcome at the Moors. In the Fae cave, they all looked the same, save for their skin, hair color and wing color. But here, everyone was different. It was amazing.</p><p>    Maleficent chuckled. “I think you’re going to like it here,”</p><p>    “What?” Dawn stood up. “You mean I can stay?”</p><p>    “Well, of course, dearie!” Knotgrass flew in front of Dawn’s face, followed by Flittle and Thistlewit. “Any faerie is welcome here!”</p><p>    Dawn’s face nearly split from the size of her smile. She had never felt so welcome in any place before.</p><p>    Maleficent jutted her head to the side. “Come on,” She smiled. “I’ll show you to my tree,”</p><p>    Dawn smiled and nodded. “I think I would like that,”</p><p>    Maleficent spread her massive wings, and clapped them together. As she lifted herself into the air, many of the pixies and smaller fairies were thrown back from the tremendous wind. She hovered in the air, waiting for Dawn.</p><p>    Dawn smirked and spread her rainbow wings. Her glossy feathers glimmered in the sunlight, capturing everyone’s eye. There was no doubt that Dawn’s wings were the most beautiful in all the Moors. With a thunderclap of her wings, Dawn lifted herself up into the air to joint Maleficent. The two Faes laughed as they flew through the air. As they flew, Dawn took in the magnificent views of the Moors. It was everything her father had told her about outside and more. Mountains that reached the sky had heavy waterfalls falling from them, making the long river below them rush.</p><p>    She was flying high above the trees and mountains, and feeling the coolness of the fluffy white clouds. She was flying where everyone back in the cave dreamed of being.</p><p>    “We’re here!”</p><p>    Dawn was snapped out of her magical trance as Maleficent called to her. They arrived at a very tall and twisted tree. Maleficent landed gracefully on a branch. She turned around and looked at Dawn, waiting for her to land as well. Dawn took a breath, and inched herself closer to the branch. She flapped her wings a little too hard, and launched herself forward. She crashed into the branch, snapping a few smaller ones.</p><p>    Maleficent laughed loudly as Dawn got herself up from the crash. She rolled her eyes at Maleficent. “Come on, it’s not that funny,”</p><p>    “It is to me,” Maleficent calmed down from her laughing fit. She then lay herself down on a woven hammock stretched out in between two branches. Dawn lay herself down next to Maleficent the same way she did.</p><p>    “How long have you been in the Moors?” Dawn decided to start a conversation.</p><p>    “As long as I can remember,” Maleficent answered. “I don’t remember my parents very well. They were killed by humans,”</p><p>    “I’m sorry...”</p><p>    “No, it’s okay,” Maleficent said. “I was raised here, and the fairies are the only family I’ve ever known,” She paused. “What about you? What’s your story?”</p><p>    Dawn sighed. “I got caught in a storm. My father tried to save me, but we both got caught in the sea. We washed up on the shore, and that’s where...” She swallowed. “That’s where my dad...”</p><p>    Maleficent touched her hand, which made Dawn’s heart flutter. “You don’t have to finish,”</p><p>    Dawn nodded. “Thank you...”</p><p>    After a moment of silence, Maleficent broke the silence.</p><p>    “Your wings are beautiful,” She complimented.</p><p>    Dawn blushed a bit. “Thank you,”</p><p>    Maleficent held out her hand. “May I?”</p><p>    Dawn nodded and spread her wing out slightly, allowing Maleficent to stoke the rainbow feathers. Dawn didn’t say this to Maleficent, but having her wings stroked felt nice.</p><p>    The two continued to chat until the sun set. As Dawn drifted off to sleep, her thoughts were filled with the wonders of the Moors, and her new friend, Maleficent.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Henry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Dawn had lived in the Moors ever since that day. A few days after Dawn had arrived, there had been a human thief in the pool of jewels. Both Dawn and Maleficent went to investigate. The human’s name was Stefan. Dawn had expected a human to look horrible based off of the stories she had heard. But Stefan was a very kind individual, who meant no harm.</p><p>    After that day, Stefan came over to play with Maleficent and Dawn in the Moors. Dawn had never had this much fun her whole life. She grew rather fond of Stefan, and considered him to be her best friend, besides Maleficent of course. For a time, it seemed as if, in them at least, the old hatred between man and fairies had been forgotten.</p><p>    As the years passed, Dawn began to look at Maleficent differently. Every time she smiled, every time she touched her, it made butterflies flutter in her stomach. It took her a long time, but she realized that this feeling that she had, was love. She was absolutely, deeply, crazy in love with Maleficent. She had hoped that she would feel the same way, but it was not meant to be.</p><p>    On her sixteenth birthday, Stefan gave Maleficent a gift. He told her it was true love’s kiss. Dawn remembered how much it hurt to watch from afar. She remembered for the rest of her life how her heart completely broke in half. She didn’t say anything to Maleficent about it, because it was her heart, and she was the only one who could choose who to give it to. Dawn clearly wasn’t that person.</p><p>    Despite her feelings, the two still remained close. Dawn had hoped that her feelings would go away, but they just grew stronger with each passing day. As the years passed, Stefan’s ambition called him away from Maleficent and towards the temptations of the human kingdom. Dawn remembered how heartbroken Maleficent was. She wanted nothing more than to hold her and kiss her and tell her that she loved her, and that everything was going to be alright. But she couldn’t. All she could do, was comfort her like a friend. And she hated it.</p><p>    Maleficent often wandered alone and sometimes wondered where Stefan might be. For she had never understood the greed and envy of men. In these times, Dawn grew to hate Stefan, and humans altogether. They stole Maleficent from her, and then they ripped up her heart and stomped on it.</p><p>    <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Dawn-820525745">Dawn</a> was now a powerful fairy. Her rainbow wings were brighter and stronger than ever before. Her limbs were powerfully built, and there wasn’t a bit of her body that wasn’t toned or muscular. Her hair was longer than it had been all those years ago, and less frizzy. Her eyes were still as scarlet as ever. As for her magic, it was strong, stronger than the average Fae.</p><p>    Maleficent, however, had grown more powerful than Dawn would ever be, making her the protector of the Moors. She was more powerful with her magic than Dawn could ever dream. Her powerful spells could disarm any army that ever came for the Moors.</p><p>    But overall, Maleficent grew to be the most beautiful Fae Dawn had ever seen. Her pale skin made her gorgeous golden eyes pop, and her dark hair flowed like a waterfall over her shoulders. Her lips were almost always painted with a stunning red color. She had a very kind, but fierce soul. She was always kind with all the fairies of the Moors, especially Dawn. If Dawn wasn’t in love before, she definitely was now.</p><p>    All the creatures of the Moors respected the two, officially naming them The Guardians of the Moors. Dawn appreciated the title, but thought that Maleficent should have the title to herself. After all she was the strongest, and Dawn just helped.</p><p>    All was well. Until one day, the news of the two Faes growing power spread to the human kingdom. The human king had heard the news of the continuously growing power in the Moors, and he sought to strike it down.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    With a thunder of hooves and steel, King Henry’s army charged towards the mysterious Moors. The army approached in a cloud of dust. Maleficent, with her better eyesight, saw the army approaching from afar. When she had told Dawn of this, her anger spiked. She was not one to itch for a fight, but this was definitely an exception.</p><p>    Staring ahead, was the advancing army. They came in numbers and weapons far greater than the Moors army. Although numbers do not win a battle, they do help. Red battle flags snapped above the massive horde, while a trumpet sounded across the battlefield. Towering at the front horse, stood the King, dressed in full iron armor.</p><p>    Henry and his army stopped by the borders of the Moors. Some of the horses shifted nervously, as did some of the humans. They all looked up at the mysterious lands in awe and terror. The King turned to his army.</p><p>    “There they are!” He projected his voice for all to hear. “The mysterious Moors where no one dares to venture, for fear of the magical creatures that lurk within! Well, I say: Crush them!”</p><p>    The armies rallied and cheered. Some holding up their banners, while most raised up their iron swords into the air. Their cheers died down quickly when a huge boom was heard in the sky. Many grew nervous when they saw something quickly approaching.</p><p>    Something landed with a loud <em>thud </em>and the sound of ruffled feathers. In front of them, was the Mighty Maleficent. Her wings were spread out to her sides in an attempt to intimidate the army. And to her delight, it worked.</p><p>    She glared at the intruding humans with her golden eyes. The horses all whinnied and thrashed their heads back when they heard another sonic boom. There was something in the sky, pointing down towards the earth, completely straight like an arrow. The thing snapped open its wings, sending a shockwave towards the army, making them all lean back in their saddles.</p><p>    The thing before them, was Dawn. Her iridescent wings were spread, almost catching the soldiers off guard by how beautiful they were. Her glare burned through he hearts of these men, and sheer hatred swam in those scarlet eyes.</p><p>    “GO NO FURTHER!” Maleficent commanded.</p><p>    King Henry looked almost amused. “A king does not take orders from winged elves,”</p><p>    His soldiers laughed. Dawn grew angry at the King’s dismissal of Maleficent. She soon spoke up. “You are no king to us, or anyone in these lands!”</p><p>    The army’s laughter died off after the comment. Henry looked almost offended that these creatures didn’t respect him, or bow to his will.</p><p>    Dawn continued. “You may be a King to your humans... but you will die just like any other man!”</p><p>    The King stared at the two, burning anger in his eyes. He then leaned in towards the General, not breaking eye contact with them. “Bring me her head,”</p><p>    “Which one, your majesty?”</p><p>    “It doesn’t matter,”</p><p>    The General obeyed almost immediately. “Battalion!”</p><p>    The soldiers all drew their swords with a collective and drawn out <em>sshhhiiiiinnng </em>of the iron.</p><p>    “Attack!”</p><p>    Maleficent didn’t break her eye contact with the army. “Arise and stand with us!”</p><p>    Nothing happened. At least, not at first. The ground began to shake, making many soldiers afraid. Suddenly, giant tree-like creatures came up from under the ground, ripping the dirt and grass as they did so. From underneath their upside down wooden horns, their mouth opened, and they all released a mighty and guttural roar.</p><p>    The soldiers began to reel back. “It’s the dark creatures!” Many of them exclaimed.</p><p>    The army thought that the worst had come. How wrong they were. From behind the trees, were giant Tree Warriors, each of them holding giant and sharp wooden spears. They each rode a giant moss-covered hog, who’s horns could impale any man.</p><p>    A rumbling was heard beside Maleficent. The armies grew silent as they turned to look. A snake like creature, made of roots, with sharp teeth and a beak like snout, broke through the ground. It faced the army, and opened its mouth and let out a harsh guttural roar.</p><p>    “To the King!” One of the soldier’s yelled. The others cheered and charged with thundering hooves.</p><p>    Maleficent and Dawn looked at each other, before taking off. They both lead the army of the forest guardians against Henry’s army. Maleficent swooped down, and took down the soldiers with her wings, sending them flying. She unleashed her green magic onto the mass with a primal scream.</p><p>    Dawn flew through the air, dodging the arrows that came her way. She flipped her body in the air, summoning her magic to her hands in scarlet flames. A red flash from above from above caught the soldiers unawares. Dawn’s energy bolt killed a score of men. The Fae descended into the gap she had created in the invaders' midst. Men were thrown into disarray as she unleashed her powers against them.</p><p>    Dawn folded her wings against her side, spinning as she ascended from the fray. As she was upright in the air, she snapped open her wings, sending a shockwave of scarlet energy that sent a score of men backwards, and killing some.</p><p>    A sharp pain became apparent in her right wing. She yelled as she was pulled to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, facing the soldier that brought her down. He twirled his lance around and struck Dawn’s jaw with the base of the lance in a single fluid motion. There was a loud crack of bone as the Fae recoiled from the blow. She fell face first to the ground in agony. Before she knew it; the soldier’s boot was pressed firmly on her spine. The man stood poised to drive his lance through her back.</p><p>    A blast of green light nearly blinded Dawn as she felt the pressure on her back go away. She turned over, and saw that Maleficent killed the man with her magic. She held out her hand, and helped Dawn to her feet.</p><p>    The King aimed an arrow at Dawn, but she spotted him, and using her magic, she knocked it from his hands. With a loud thud, she landed in front of him, red energy sparking in between her fingers.</p><p>    “Who...” The King’s voice was small and meek. He spoke again in an attempt to regain some of his dignity. “Who are you?!” He demanded.</p><p>    Anger and sheer hatred burned in Dawn’s now glowing scarlet eyes. “Who I am is no concern of a dead man,”</p><p>    Just as she was about to strike, she heard Maleficent’s cry. She terminated her attack, now worried about her safety. She took flight, the sheer force of it nearly knocking the King off of his horse.</p><p>    She flew downwards like an arrow towards the struggling Maleficent. She looked over her shoulder, and saw that the rainbow-winged Fae was coming her way. In turn, Maleficent summoned green energy to her hands. When Dawn reached her, the two unleashed their magic on a large score of men, sending them flying backwards, and killing many more.</p><p>    Maleficent soon caught sight of King Henry, who looked horrified.</p><p>    “You!”</p><p>    She flew directly at him. Her powerful wing knocked him squarely in the chest, knocking him off of his horse, and onto the hard and unforgiving ground.</p><p>    A soldier saw what had happened, and shouted: “To the king!”</p><p>    As the soldiers charged towards Maleficent, she flapped her wings powerfully, and with just few flaps of her wings, she threw them all off of their feet. She snapped her head towards the king, and she made her way to him.</p><p>    “You will not have the Moors!” She yelled at him. “Not now, nor ever! You…!”</p><p>    In an attempt to save his own life, King Henry pushed her away with his iron-gloved hand. She yelled as her collarbone burned. She jumped back several feet away from the King, clutching the burned mark.</p><p>    “Maleficent!”</p><p>    King Henry looked up to see Dawn, diving straight towards him. She snapped open her wings, and she lifted him up by the nape of his armor.</p><p>    “Bastard!”</p><p>    She punched him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards, and onto the hard ground. He gasped as every part of his body hit the ground hard. To his horror, he realized that he was having trouble breathing. He looked at his chest, and saw that his armor was dented. The dent was piercing his flesh ever so slightly, and it was restricting his breathing.</p><p>    A couple of his soldiers carried him off as they were chased out by the tree creatures. The last thing King Henry saw before the Moors were out of his sight, were the two Fae, glaring at him.</p><p>    Dawn watched until the army was gone from her sight. She then turned to Maleficent.</p><p>    “Mal!” She rushed to her side. “Are you alright?”</p><p>    She watched as Maleficent’s burn healed quickly. She smiled up at her. “I’m alright, my friend,” Her face grew concerned. “But what about you?”</p><p>    Dawn gave her a confused smile. “What about me?”</p><p>    Maleficent took Dawn’s hands in hers. She looked down, and saw that her hands and wrists were completely burned from the King’s iron armor. When she saw it, that’s when she could feel the burn. But the pain didn’t last long, for they healed quickly.</p><p>    A tree warrior, Balthazar, strode up to them with his long limbs. Be bowed his head in a sign of respect and thanks. Maleficent and Dawn returned the gesture.</p><p>    As the creatures made their way back into the Moors, Dawn couldn’t help but look behind. She knew that nature of humans, and she knows that they will come back for revenge for wounding their precious King Henry.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Betrayal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    King Henry was on his deathbed. The blows that he suffered from the battle were too much for his body. The doctors feared that he wouldn’t last a week. The King knew this, and in response, he summoned his men to his chambers. He lay on his bed, with his men standing at the foot of it.</p><p>    “When I ascended to the throne...” He began. “I promised the people one day we would take the Moors and its treasures...”</p><p>    As he spoke, one of his servants, Stefan, lit three candles on the king’s counter, and blew out the long match he used to light them.</p><p>    The king took a shaking breath, “Each of you swore allegiance to me and to that cause…”</p><p>    Henry’s words fell short when he began to cough violently. Stefan rushed over to him and gently placed her another pillow behind his head.</p><p>    The King sighed. “Defeated in battle. Is this to be my legacy?” He looked upon his men, and dryly chuckled to himself. “I see you’re waiting for me to die. It won’t be long, but what then? I will choose a successor to take the throne, and to care for my daughter,”</p><p>    Stefan’s head snapped upwards at these words. His heart began to soar at the thought of being the king. What must he do to prove himself worthy?</p><p>    “Who among you is worthy?” The King asked them testily. “Kill the winged creatures! Kill them both! Avenge me! And upon my death you will take the crown,”</p><p>    Stefan felt like he was doused in ice cold water. He left the room with the others after the king had dismissed them. He wanted desperately to be king. It has been his goal since he was a child. But the way he must do it... he didn’t know if he could do it.</p><p>    In the servants quarters, he washed his face with warm water. He looked at himself in the mirror, a hard expression on his face. It was right then and there, when he knew what to do.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn sat at the base of a cliff, with Maleficent’s tree pressing against her back. She was worried. Really worried. She knew that the humans would come back for revenge for hurting their king, and she didn’t want that to happen. So she watched, waiting for them to arrive so she could attack before they could even get here.</p><p>    Her tiredness almost took hold of her multiple times, but she pinched herself awake every time her eyes wanted to close. She almost didn’t hear the soft wing beats approaching her.</p><p>    “Dawn,”</p><p>    Dawn snapped out of her tired trance, and looked to her right. Maleficent was there, sitting down next to her.</p><p>    “Mal,” Dawn called her by her nickname as she smiled sleepily. “It’s okay, I’m just watching,”</p><p>    Maleficent sighed. “I know. But you need to rest, my friend,”</p><p>    Dawn shook her head. “No, no. I’m fine,”</p><p>    She felt Maleficent take her hand in her own, making her heart flutter. “Dawn, I know you care about the Moors. I do too, but you need to rest. Please,”</p><p>    Dawn looked into those beautiful golden eyes, and she completely melted. She just couldn’t say no to her. But to her surprise, her response was different than what it intended to be. But at the same time, it was what she wanted to say for years.</p><p>    “Mal...” She squeezed her hand lightly. “I just wanted to say for a long time...” She swallowed. “I lo-”</p><p>    She was interrupted when she heard something in the distance. They heard someone shouting: “Maleficent!”</p><p>    Maleficent looked at Dawn, unsure if she should respond. Dawn forced a small smile, and nodded. Maleficent took off, leaving Dawn behind. She sighed in disappointment to herself, and followed her.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Stefan left the castle late at night, to seek out Maleficent and Dawn. He rode in a horse-drawn wagon. Before he went to the border of The Moors, he tied the horse to a tree, and he walked the rest of the way. He stepped up to the boarder of The Moors.</p><p>    “Maleficent!”</p><p>    Nothing</p><p>    “Maleficent!” He called louder this time.</p><p>    He waited in silence for about a minute, but nothing happened. Losing hope, he turned around to leave.</p><p>    “So...”</p><p>    He turned around with a jump, and saw Maleficent standing there.</p><p>    “How’s life with the humans?” She asked bitterly.</p><p>    Steven swallowed nervously. Before he could speak, Dawn landed beside Maleficent with a soft <em>thump</em>. Stefan grew nervous under her burning scarlet gaze. She eyed him up and down testily.</p><p>    “Stefan,” She said icily.</p><p>    He human cleared his throat. “Maleficent... Dawn... I’ve come to warn you. They mean to kill you,” He looked at Dawn. “The both of you. King Henry will stop at nothing,” He paused as he looked at Maleficent. She looked at him, her hard gaze slowly melting away.</p><p>    “Please,” The human almost pleaded. “You have to trust me....”</p><p>    Dawn’s hard gaze melted as well. A part of her was telling her not to trust him, but another told her that he was telling the truth. Her empathy was telling her that he might be trying to change, and to give him a chance.</p><p>    Soon after, Maleficent and Stefan went into the woods together, to catch up on old times. Even though Dawn wanted to hate Stefan for taking Maleficent away from her, she just couldn’t anymore. She respected that he admitted his mistake, and now he was making amends.</p><p>    Dawn wanted to stay up, and watch over The Moors. But alas, her tiredness took over, and she fell asleep in a large patch of soft moss near a small creek.</p><p>    When she woke up, the sun didn’t even rise yet, but the sky was slightly brightened. She sat up, and stretched her arms and wings out to the side. She silently took flight, her eyes scanning over The Moors, making sure everything was alright. Most creatures were asleep, but there was the soft glow of the nighttime creatures wandering about freely.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes wandered to the border, where she saw Stefan. He was untying his horse and wagon from a tree. He looked like he was about to leave. She flew straight towards him.</p><p>    When she landed behind him, he jumped and looked at her. His eyes went wide.</p><p>    “Stefan...” She began. “I know things got off on the wrong foot, but...” She stuck her hand out.</p><p>    Stefan raised an eyebrow in confusion.</p><p>    “You made a mistake, but you came back. You admitted that you made a mistake, and you made amends. And for that, you have my respect,”</p><p>    She stuck her hand out once again. Stefan’s eyes twitched to the right, towards his wagon. It was almost as if he was eager to get away. He reached out his hand, took hers, and shook it. He gave her a half-hearted smile.</p><p>    “Goodbye,” He almost blurted out. He walked back to his wagon.</p><p>    “Wait,” Dawn said. She stepped forward and pointed at something in his wagon. It was covered in a black tarp, and wrapped up in thick ropes. “What is that?”</p><p>    Stefan’s heart caught in his throat. “It’s nothing,” He said defensively. He ran up to Dawn and grabbed her wrist before she could reach what was in his wagon. “Nothing at all,”</p><p>    Dawn didn’t believe that for a second. “Stefan,” Her voice was stern, and it made Stefan more nervous than he already was. “I’m only going to ask this once. What. Is. In. The. Bag?” She said through clenched teeth.</p><p>    Stefan’s heart beat frantically as his adrenaline spiked. He knew what would happen if she found out what it was. Before he could react, Dawn grabbed his shoulders, and pushed him to the side. The human fell to the ground. When he rolled over, he saw the tarp was unfolded.</p><p>    Dawn couldn’t believe what she was seeing. In the tarp, were huge brown feathered wings. But these weren’t any wings. These were Maleficent’s wings. Dawn felt shock douse her like ice cold water.</p><p>    “Stefan...” Her voice was merely a whisper. “What have you done?”</p><p>    She turned around to look at him. Red energy swirled around her hands. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”</p><p>    A red bolt of energy came hurling towards Stefan. He jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding it.</p><p>    “HOW COULD YOU?!” Dawn screamed at him. “SHE <em>TRUSTED</em> YOU!”</p><p>    A huge blast of red hot energy came straight towards Stefan. As he rolled out of the way, he drew his iron sword out of his belt. He ran straight towards the Fae, and blindly swung his sword at her.</p><p>    Dawn screamed as she recoiled from the human. She was hunched forward, her hands clutching her left horn. Stefan then realized what he did.</p><p>   As he swung his iron sword, he sliced the top of Dawn’s left horn clean off, burning it. As Dawn recovered, Stefan grabbed the shard of Dawn’s horn off of the ground. If he couldn’t get her wings, this would be enough.</p><p>    Dawn’s head snapped towards him, her scarlet eyes now burning with anger. Stefan could’ve sworn he saw red mist curl like smoke from her eyes. Dawn lunged at the human, red electricity sparking between her fingers. Before she could strike, Stefan swiped his sword downwards with a primal scream.</p><p>    Dawn’s magic died off as she screamed. She fell backwards as a small gush of blood trickled through the air. She fell hard on her back, her head hitting the ground, and knocking her out cold.</p><p>    Stefan dropped his sword, panting. He looked over Dawn’s still form. There was a huge gash over her right eye, dark blood pouring out of it, and trickling heavily down her face. There was also a cloud of red mist pouring out of her eye, and pooling in a puddle on the ground.</p><p>    Stefan grabbed his iron chain out of his pocket, ready to do what he did last time. But this time, he didn’t feel sorry about it. Just as the iron touched her feathers, he heard something in the woods. In a panic, he shoved the chain back into his pocket. If any of the other fairies found him, he would be better off dead.</p><p>    He hurriedly retied Maleficent’s wings into the tarp. He shoved the tip of Dawn’s horn into his pocket as well as he climbed into the wagon’s seat. The last thing he heard before he drove off, was Maleficent’s cry of utter anguish deep in the trees of the Moors.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Comfort and Lies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Dawn’s eye twitched as she came to. Her hand flew to her eye, and she discovered warm blood on it. To her horror, she realized that she couldn’t see out of her right eye. She sat upwards, and saw Stefan’s blood stained sword on the ground in front of her. She looked to her left, and saw Stefan’s wagon in the far distance.</p><p>    She lifted her wings, ready to go into pursuit. But then, she heard a cry of complete and utter anguish deep in the forest. She knew exactly who it was. With a powerful clap of her wings, she took off.</p><p>    When she began to fly, she noticed right away that it was more difficult to do so. Since she only had one eye now, she could only see one side of her surroundings. She heard the cry again, and went in that direction.</p><p>    “Mal!” She cried out in desperation.</p><p>    The blood coming from her eye began to trickle into her intact eye. She tried to blink it away, but it only made it worse. Her vision was now clouded and red. She wiped it away the best she could.</p><p>    She landed rather ungracefully on the ground with many cracks of branches and a loud thump. She stumbled forward.</p><p>    “Mal!” She cried out. “Mal, where are you?” She began to grow desperate. “MALEFICENT!”</p><p>    That’s when she saw her. Maleficent’s back was bloody, and all that remained of her wings, were two burnt red stumps. She lay on the ground on her side, sobbing.</p><p>    Dawn kneeled next to her. “Mal...”</p><p>    She turned over, her face stained with tears. She looked at the ground. “Oh, Dawn...” She managed to choke out. “Stefan... he... I...” She sobbed again.</p><p>    Dawn held Maleficent close, letting her cry. “It’s okay...” She soothed. The felt Maleficent’s tears soak into her shirt as she lay on her. “It’s okay...” She stroked her long hair.</p><p>    Maleficent looked up at Dawn. A look of horror spread across her face. “Dawn...” She whispered as her hand hovered over Dawn’s bloody eye. “Your face...”</p><p>    Dawn held her close again. “It’s nothing,” She reassured. “You’re the one that got hurt today, not me,”</p><p>    Maleficent choked back another sob. “Why... why would he do this?”</p><p>    Dawn tried to search for an answer, but she couldn’t find one. “I don’t know...”</p><p>    For what seemed like hours, Dawn comforted Maleficent. She couldn’t even imagine what pain she must be going through. When you loose an eye, it’s inconvenient at first, but after a while, you can learn to live with it. But when a fairy looses their wings, it’s like loosing a part of their soul. A part of you is ripped away, and you loose what makes you, you.</p><p>    Dawn looked in the direction of the castle, burning red hatred in her eye. Red smoke curled up from her eye. She wanted to fly to that castle, and rip Stefan limb from limb. One day, that bastard will pay for what he had done to Maleficent. She will personally see to that.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Stefan strode into the King’s chambers, Maleficent’s wings in his arms, still covered with the black tarp. When he approached the King in his bed, he saw that he was still asleep. He threw the tarp onto the edge of the King’s bed, startling him awake.</p><p>    He looked at Stefan, a confused look on his features. “What’s this?” He demanded to know.</p><p>    Stefan beamed with pride, and unfolded the black tarp. The tarp revealed a mass of brown feathers.</p><p>    Stefan smiled. “I have avenged you, sire,” He announced.</p><p>    The King had a look of disbelief on his face. “She is vanquished?” His face fell. “What of the other one? You didn’t leave the other one alive, did you?”</p><p>    Stefan reached into his pocket, and pulled out Dawn’s horn. He presented it to the king. “The other is vanquished as well, but I didn’t have time to cut off her wings. The other creatures would have caught me if I had stayed,” He held up the horn proudly. “But I managed to get this off of her,”</p><p>    The King looked satisfied. “Oh, you have done well, my son,” He smiled. “You have done what others feared to do. You will be rewarded,”</p><p>    Stefan smiled widely, pride beaming off of him. Although he felt guilt of what he had to to do Maleficent, this was worth it. “I shall do my best to be a worthy successor, Your Majesty,”</p><p>    A few days after Stefan has proven himself to the King, King Henry died in his sleep. Even though his coronation was in a few days, Stefan was now the King. He put Maleficent’s wings in a clear display case in a private room. He also had Dawn’s horn shard made into a necklace, and he wore it around his neck proudly.</p><p>    Word quickly got around the kingdom of how the new King had managed to slay two mighty fairies by himself. All of the kingdom’s citizens soon had the utmost respect for the new King, not knowing that the story was all a lie.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Queen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    The morning came once again. All day yesterday, Maleficent lay in shock. Dawn had managed to heal the stumps that were once her wings. The only time Maleficent would move, was when Dawn came to bring her food. It absolutely broke Dawn to see her dearly beloved in such a state.</p><p>    Maleficent began to sit up slowly. She picked up a small twig off of the ground, and her yellow magic swirled around it as she touched it. It transformed into a tall staff. She pushed the end of it into the ground, helping her stand to her feet. Dawn rushed to her side, hoping to help her in any way. Maleficent began to walk forward, occasionally limping. Her knees gave out, and Dawn caught her. Maleficent looked at her, a small smile of thanks spreading across her face.</p><p>    Soon, Maleficent got used to walking without her wings. It was difficult to get used to, but she managed to do it. Even though she said otherwise, she never got used to it. Dawn followed closely behind Maleficent as she wandered out of the Moors, and to the ruins of a castle. She requested that she be left alone so she could think about what happened. Even though she left her alone, Dawn stayed close, sitting on the ruined stairs outside. She never left those stairs.</p><p>    “Dawn?”</p><p>    She rose her head in response to her name. She entered the remains of the room. She sat down next to Maleficent on a stone bench.</p><p>    “How are you doing?” Dawn asked.</p><p>    She put an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. With a great sigh, Maleficent leaned in and put her head on Dawn’s shoulder.</p><p>    Maleficent sighed. “The best I can,” She sighed shakily. “This doesn’t even feel real. It’s all so... surreal. It all feels like a dream. A nightmare,”</p><p>    Dawn rubbed her shoulder. “I know. It feels like you could wake up at any moment,”</p><p>    “I wish I could wake up. But even if I could, this would still haunt me,”</p><p>    Dawn hugged Maleficent, who still had her head on her shoulder. Maleficent had so much emotion was raging all at once inside, that it all just cancelled out. She was completely numb, and the only thing that made her feel anything, was her best friend. With her, she felt safe, and she knew she could trust her.</p><p>    They stayed like this for hours, It wasn’t until the dead of night when Maleficent decided to leave the ruins.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    The two wandered through a field, the grass reaching over their heads, which concealed them from human’s line of sight. Dawn’s eye was healing fairly well, but her once scarlet eye, was a deathly pale with a pale grey iris. The cut on her face was scabbed over with a thick and hard scab. The cut would definitely leave a scar.</p><p>    The two heard yelling, barking, and a raven violently cawing. The two followed the sounds. Maleficent watched as a man caught a raven under a net on the ground. The bird was flapping its wings maniacally. The man was holding a club, and was trying to hit the squirming bird as his dog barked at it.</p><p>    “I’ve got you! You wicked bird!” He cried as he hit the ground, missing the bird.</p><p>    Maleficent waved her hand as golden magic swirled around it.</p><p>    “Into a man,” She whispered.</p><p>    Nothing happened at first, but then the bird got bigger. The bird was the size of a human, when it’s caws turned into human yelling. Its wings transformed into arms, and its claws turned into human legs. The raven, now a man stood up as he watched in confusion as his feathers turned into fingers.</p><p>    “I-it’s a demon!” The terrified man with the club cried out. He scampered away with his whimpering dog following close behind.</p><p>    The raven-turned-man examined his new body. His pale skin was dirty from being a bird for all those years, and his black hair was messy. Maleficent approached the man, with Dawn following close behind.</p><p>    The man eyed the two suspiciously. “What have you done to my beautiful self?”</p><p>    “Would you rather I let them beat you to death?” Maleficent asked him as she raised an eyebrow.</p><p>    The man looked at his new body again, “I’m not certain,”</p><p>    Dawn rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop complaining, raven,” The man looked at her now. “She just saved your life,”</p><p>    The man contemplated this for a moment. He bowed his head. “Forgive me,”</p><p>    Maleficent nodded. “What do I call you?”</p><p>    “Diaval,” The man answered. “And in return for saving my life, I am your servant,” He bowed his head once again. “Whatever you need,”</p><p>    Maleficent seemed to think for a moment. “Wings,”</p><p>    Both Diaval and Dawn gave the Fae confused looks.</p><p>    “I need you to be my wings,”</p><p>    Maleficent waved her hand as a golden aura twisted around her hand. Diaval turned back into a raven with a loud <em>Caw!</em></p><p>“Go to the human’s castle,” Maleficent ordered. “See what is happening,”</p><p>    The raven nodded as he flew towards the direction of the castle. As he flew away, Dawn began to walk with Maleficent.</p><p>    “Mal,” She said, “Why did you send him? I could have done the same for you,”</p><p>    The wingless Fae seemed to brush it off. “Don’t be silly. You would surely be spotted by humans in a heartbeat. I sent our new friend as to not raise suspicion,” She noticed Dawn’s disappointment. Her voice softened. “It’s alright. I know you can help, and you will be able to in time,”</p><p>    Dawn smiled as the two went back to the castle ruins to await Diaval’s news.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Diaval flew towards the human castle as fast as his black wings could carry him. He couldn’t help but feel excited. He has never seen the inside of the castle. He perched himself next to a small open window, and looked inside.</p><p>    Inside, was the throne room. There were two golden thrones, and one of them was occupied by the Princess Leila. He recognized her when she was outside the castle walls. But what caught the raven’s eye, was the man two sat in the other throne next to Leila.</p><p>    The man was dressed in the finest clothing the kingdoms had to offer. A great and golden crown was placed upon his head.</p><p>    The man who crowned the man now spoke to the crowd. “I present to you the first of his line, His Royal Highness King Stefan,”</p><p>    The crowd began to talk amongst one another as the new King sat down on his golden throne. The raven’s sight narrowed to something around the King’s neck. It was Dawn’s horn, hanging on a golden chain like a trophy. He stood up and addressed the new Queen.</p><p>    “Leila,” He spoke loudly so that all could hear him. The room fell silent as they listened. “My soon to be wife and Queen. In honor of our marriage, I shall give you a gift,”</p><p>    He ducked his head, and took off a necklace. More specifically, the necklace decorated with Dawn’s horn. The crowd, knowing what it was, gasped and began to whisper to each other.</p><p>    “I give you one of my greatest trophies,” Stefan continued. “Wear it with pride, for it symbolizes the start of a new and long line of rulers, stating with me and you,”</p><p>    Leila’s mouth hung open with shock as she delicately took the necklace in her hands. She clipped the necklace around her neck.</p><p>    “Thank you, my dear,” She smiled widely. “This shall become an heirloom, and everyone will know what great deed you have done,”</p><p>    The crowd cheered in agreement at the Queen’s statement.</p><p>    Diaval had seen enough. He spread his wings and took flight.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn would never forget the moment Diaval had told them what had happened. The way Stefan carelessly threw away Maleficent’s trust just to become King, and how he used Dawn’s horn and Maleficent’s wings for trophies. Dawn staggered backwards out of the ruined room and leaned against the wall for fear of losing her balance.</p><p>    The horridness of this act was beyond her imagination. Never had she even once considered that Stefan could do something so evil for so little of a reason, yet here it was in clear sight. Stefan was now at the point for which she feared. He had traveled too far down the path of desire and greed, and was now far beyond the point of no return.</p><p>    Maleficent’s breath grew quick as she tried to regain it. Her eyes felt like they were about to tear up again, but the pain of doing so kept them at bay. Her shock was soon replaced with something else. Maleficent had been frustrated, or even mad before, but she had quickly gotten over it in a matter of hours or days. But this... this was something else.</p><p>    It was anger. Pure, unfiltered anger. She felt it start to bubble like water in a pot in the pit of her stomach.</p><p>    “He did this to me...” The anger bubbled higher as green magic swirled around her staff. “... so he could be King...”</p><p>    The ground rumbled slightly as Maleficent’s hands tightened around her staff until her knuckles turned white. She felt all of her pent-up anger finally explode. She let out a angry and primal scream as she unleashed a powerful blast of green light into the dark sky.</p><p>    In the human’s castle, Stefan looked out of the window. He saw the green light, and became uneasy. A feeling of dread and fear crept into his stomach as he looked at the beacon. He had a sinking feeling that he had made a big mistake.</p><p>    Soon, all of the light crashed back down into Maleficent. She stood there, anger burned into her face as she panted heavily.</p><p>    Diaval nervously spoke. “What now, mistress?”</p><p>    Diaval’s head turned around quickly as he heard a dark chuckle come from the dark corner. He was shocked to see that it was Dawn.</p><p>    “I’ll tell you what,” Dawn smiled darkly. She stepped forward. As she spoke, her voice was more of a hiss through clenched teeth. “No matter how long it takes, we are going to march right down to that castle,” She looked to Maleficent. “And we... are going... to <em>crush</em> them,”</p><p>    It scared Diaval, to see Dawn, from what he could tell, who was usually as positive as she could be, turn into something like this. Her eyes were feral, even her damaged one, as red smoke curled from her scarlet eye.</p><p>    She continued to speak. “But...” She looked at Maleficent again. “It’s up to you to decide how we do it...”</p><p>    A flash of uncertainty flashed in Maleficent’s eyes, before she smirked. “We will ruin him... but we have to wait,”</p><p>    Disappointment flashed across Dawn’s face as the red mist dissipated from her eye.</p><p>    She continued. “We have to wait for the right moment. But for now...” She tightened her grip on her staff. “Come. We have much to do,”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    In the Moors, everyone had noticed the absence of their greatest protectors. There have been many fairies that have been searching the Moors far and wide for the two Fae, but they couldn’t find them.</p><p>    The sky suddenly grew darker as grey clouds stretched across the sky, and blocked out the sun. Everyone looked up. Was a storm coming?</p><p>    A great stir of movement occurred around the trees. Many trees moved, with loud cracks from the trunks. Maleficent emerged, along with Dawn in tow. Many of the creatures noticed Dawn’s eye first. And second, they noticed that Maleficent’s wings were missing.</p><p>    “Her eye!” Some of them cried out.</p><p>    “Her wings!” Many more cried.</p><p>    They slowly moved down the slope and from around towards them. The creatures all stood up and grew nervous as the fairies came closer. Maleficent waved her hand, and many dark and thick vines grew against a wall. As the rib-like structure grew, it looked more and more like a throne. The fairies looked at it in shock. The Moors don’t have royalty!</p><p>    As Maleficent took a seat in the new throne, Dawn stood at her side. The creatures shifted nervously, unsure of what to do now. They grew stiff as Dawn’s wings extended threateningly.</p><p>    “All of you!” Her voice boomed across the land, “Bow!”</p><p>    Everyone looked shocked as they glanced at each other nervously.</p><p>    Dawn’s wings shifted as her remaining eye glowed a bright red. “Bow to your Queen,”</p><p>    Dawn could see Maleficent smirk as the creatures bowed. Although hesitant at first, they complied.</p><p>    Diaval, in his raven form, flew in and landed on the top of Maleficent’s staff and cawed loudly. As she stroked his back, she looked around at the Moors. Their beauty had somehow diminished. The trees and grass were still green, and grew enthusiastically, but somehow, they seemed darker.</p><p>    Dawn looked up, and saw that the gray clouds covering parts of the sky, grew darker. A smirk grew on her face as a bolt of lightning cracked the night sky.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. All Hail Aurora</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    The months that followed Stefan and Maleficent’s coronation were the hardest and most exhausting of Dawn’s life, both physically and mentally. They two had sent Diaval for many spy missions to the human castle, waiting for the right time to strike.</p><p>    Dawn hadn’t slept for days. Her hair was unkept, her eyes were bloodshot, and the bags under her eyes were darker than the night itself. If anyone else had seen her, they would have thought she was mad. Due to her sleep deprivation, she snapped at almost everyone she interacted with, except for Maleficent. She was hell-bent on revenge, and she was ready to do so however Maleficent wanted to.</p><p>    Every time Maleficent looked at her dear friend, she didn’t see the same person she once was. There was something different about her. She hopeful air that bore about her diminished greatly; more so than it usually had anyways. </p><p>    While Dawn went mad, Maleficent however, kept a steady head, and she was calm and collective. Dawn wondered many times how she managed to stay this calm, because she knew she wanted revenge more than she did. How she managed to do it, Dawn would never know.</p><p>    One one particular day, Dawn found herself pacing near an old tree. Her once beautiful wings, although still colorful, were less vibrant, ragged, and no longer silky. She was itching for the day that they would attack. She wanted to personally tear Stefan apart limb from limb after what he has done to Maleficent. She imagined herself unleashing her most powerful magic onto him, and making him suffer and scream as he was slowly torn apart as his subjects watched. The image brought her great satisfaction.</p><p>    Dawn, hearing something, snapped her head to the side. A group of Wallerbogs looked at her nervously.</p><p>    “What are you looking at?” She hissed at them.</p><p>    The creatures quickly scampered away, earning a twisted smile from Dawn. From afar, Maleficent looked at her worriedly. She was concerned for her friend’s wellbeing and mental health. She wanted her to rest, but there was no arguing with her.</p><p>    Her thoughts were cut short when she heard several approaching wingbeats, and a crow’s call. Diaval flew straight towards Maleficent, who turned him back into a man. He stumbled onto the ground, regaining his balance.</p><p>    Dawn approached quickly, which made Diaval jump back. Dawn looked at him expectedly. “Well?”</p><p>    Diaval swallowed. “Well, I saw nothing. But there’s been a, um…”</p><p>    Maleficent grew impatient. “What?” She demanded to know.</p><p>    Diaval hesitated, and swallowed. “Child,” He finished. “The King and Queen have had a child,”</p><p>    For a moment, Maleficent said nothing. A look of anger, sadness, and anguish flashed in her eyes for a quick moment. But she masked them with a stone cold stare. “Oh,”</p><p>    “There will be a christening,” Diaval quickly added. “They say it’s to be a grand celebration,”</p><p>    “A grand celebration for a baby?” Maleficent asked. A sly smile spread across her face as she looked at Dawn knowingly. The two grinned sinisterly.</p><p>    “How wonderful...” Maleficent drew out the words.</p><p>    Dawn grinned maliciously, knowing exactly what Maleficent had in mind.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    The christening was a celebration to behold. The people sang a <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bKe1qGp9mpI">song</a> to welcome the new princess.</p><p>
  <em>Joyfully now to our princess we come</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Bringing gifts and all good wishes too</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We pledge our loyalty anew</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Princess Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>All of her subjects adore her</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the King, hail to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Princess Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Health to the Princess</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wealth to the Princess</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Long live the Princess Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail Aurora, hail Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Health to the Princess</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wealth to the Princess</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Long live the Princess Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the King, hail to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Princess Aurora!</em>
</p><p>    All manner of folk came to the christening, even a trio of fairies who sought to foster peace and goodwill.</p><p>    Three pixies, dressed in red, blue, and green, excitedly fluttered up to the king and queen’s golden thrones. They all chattered amongst themselves excitedly as they approached.</p><p>    “Oh, look, there’s the baby!”</p><p>    “I love babies!”</p><p>    Knotgrass sighed in exasperation at the other two. “Can you just concentrate, please?”</p><p>    She kicked Flittle, who exclaimed: “Oh!”</p><p>    “I’m not telling you again,” Knotgrass said as she rolled her eyes.</p><p>    The three fairies fly over to Stefan and Queen Leila.</p><p>    “Greetings, Your Majesty,” Knotgrass began respectably. “I am Knotgrass of the Moorland Fair Folk,”</p><p>    “I’m Flittle, Your Kingship,”</p><p>    “And I’m Thistletwit,” She bowed her head and curtsied. “Your Royalnesses,”</p><p>    Stefan, wondering why they are here, looks to his wife in confusion, hoping for an explanation.</p><p>    “They bring gifts for our daughter,” The Queen said as-a-matter-of-factly.</p><p>    “These are not just any old gifts,” Flittle began to explain. “For, you see, we’re magic!”</p><p>    “And very good with children,” Knotgrass added with a small smile, earning a small chuckle from the crowd.</p><p>    Stefan looks at Leila, who nods to him, reassuring him that it’ll be alright. Stefan reluctantly nodded his head as he gestured to his baby daughter’s crib to his right.</p><p>    “Very well,” He said.</p><p>    The trio flutter to the crib, to find baby Aurora, who looked at them curiously.</p><p>    “Sweet Aurora,” Knotgrass began. “I wish for you the gift of beauty,”</p><p>    A small cloud of rose petals fly over the baby’s head like a crown, and soon after, they disappear.</p><p>    Flittle comes over next. “My wish is that you’ll never be blue, only happy, all the days of your life,”</p><p>    Small blue butterflies flutter over the baby’s head. One landed on her nose, making her sneeze, earning a small ‘aww’ from the crowd.</p><p>    Finally, Thistletwit comes over. “Sweet baby,” She says as a cloud of dandelions appear in the palm of her hand. “My wish for you is that you find…”</p><p>    She was interrupted as a gust of wind blew her dandelions away. The wind blows strongly, blowing out the candles, swinging the chandeliers, and knocking many people’s hats off of their heads. Everyone looked around in confusion and worry as all of the candles in the hall are blown out.</p><p>    A shadow appears on the wall. To some, it looked like the devil himself, with big horns twisting above his head. But to Stefan, it looked like someone he was dreading to see for some time.</p><p>    As someone walks through the crowd, they split like the Red Sea, a look of fear on their faces. Mothers held their children closer to them as the person walked past them. A walking staff is heard pounding on the stone ground with each step.</p><p>    Stefan’s stomach bottomed out as Maleficent came into view. She stepped up the stairs to his throne. She wore black robes, with a crest of stiff fabric protruding from her shoulders, and a shiny black material covering up her hair and horns. As she stopped walking, she hit the ground one last time with her staff, making the room deathly silent.</p><p>    She looks straight at Stefan with her piercing golden eyes. “Well, well...” She grinned sinisterly as she chuckled darkly. “What a glittering assemblage, King Stefan,”</p><p>    The King’s heart pounded violently in his chest as Maleficent came closer. She shifted her eyes left and right, observing the crowd before her.</p><p>    “Royalty, nobility, the gentry, and…”</p><p>    She laughs sinisterly again and looks at the terrified fairies guarding Aurora’s crib.</p><p>    “How quaint. Even the rabble...”</p><p>    A cry from the crowd caught the king and queen’s attention. A citizen pointed up to the ceiling. Up in the rafters, red mist was pooling down slowly from the ceiling and to the ground. From the red mist on the ceiling, there was rainbow colored feathered wings, hanging from the rafters like a bat. The raggedy wings unfolded, to reveal Dawn, hanging upside down, her body contorted. The position she was in disturbed Stefan greatly. With a dark chuckle, she un-contorted herself slowly from her position, with a few cracks of her joints.</p><p>    As she was completely un-contorted, she dropped to the ground gracefully on her feet with a great <em>whump </em>of her wings. She stood up slowly, her ragged wings hanging loosely on her sides. She wore a simple brown dress that reached her knees, with a lighter brown fabric belt wrapped around her waist. Her motions were fluid and disturbing as she made her way to the thrones. Stefan’s heart dropped even lower when he saw her. The scar he had left her healed completely, and it left her once scarlet eye, a deep pale.</p><p>    “Hello, Stefan,” Dawn grinned wildly as she eyed the King. In one fluid motion, she turned her head towards the Queen, who jumped back in fear of what she might do.</p><p>    Dawn’s hand glowed a bright red as an aura of red mist circled around her hand. “I must say, Queen Leila...” Her voice dripped with poison. Leila grew distressed as her necklace with Dawn’s horn glowed red, and levitated upwards. “Your necklace is... quite divine...” She chuckled darkly as she eyes Stefan, “Did your husband make it for you?”</p><p>    Leila gripped her armrests until her knuckles turned white in fear. She relaxed slightly when the red magic disappeared, and the necklace dropped to her chest.</p><p>    “I must say...” Maleficent spoke loudly for all to hear. “We really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation,”</p><p>    Shaking, Stefan spoke. “You’re...” His voice shook. He coughed and tried to regain more authority in his voice. “You’re not welcome here,”</p><p>    “Oh...”</p><p>    Maleficent looked down at the floor, seemingly upset at the King’s words. She then looked up, and a smug smile spread across her face as she chuckled maliciously.</p><p>    “Oh dear...” She said. She looked at Dawn. “What an... awkward situation,”</p><p>    The two smirked at each other, both of them amused before they looked back at the King and Queen.</p><p>    “Y-you’re not offended, your excellency?” Leila asked, a tone of surprise and shock in her voice.</p><p>    “Why, no,” Maleficent said. “And to show I bear no ill will, I too, shall bestow a gift on the child,”</p><p>    Stefan’s fear rose inside of him again, and he stood up in a panic. “No! We don’t want your gift!”</p><p>    Dawn’s red magic violently pushed him back into his throne, earning a gasp from the guests. Dawn looked at the crowd, an amused look on her wild face.</p><p>    “It’s touching,” She began. “That you all care so much about him, even though he isn’t a real king,”</p><p>    Leila sat up straight in alarm. “What are you talking about?”</p><p>    Dawn chuckled as red magic again swam around Leila’s necklace. “When your precious husband gave this to you... did he say that it was a trophy of some kind? A symbol of his ‘victory?’” She addressed the crowd, not turning towards them. “Tell me, what did your previous king say when Stefan was crowned?”</p><p>    Leila swallowed as she spoke with a trembling voice. “T-that he slew two mighty fairies,”</p><p>    Dawn smiled chillingly. “Yes... slain...” Her eyes fell on Stefan. “If you killed them... why are we still here?”</p><p>    Leila looked at her husband with a shocked look on her face. “These are the ones you spoke of?”</p><p>    Stefan shot his eyes downwards, earning a chuckle from Maleficent.</p><p>    “He lied,” She put it simply. “Isn’t that right, my love?” She mocked Stefan as she made her way to the crib.</p><p>    “Stay away from the princess!” Flittle shouted.</p><p>    “Yes!” Thistlewit agreed. “Stay away!”</p><p>    With a simple wave of her hand, Maleficent threw the pixies away from the crib, and sent them slamming into an open chest. The force of the impact caused the chest to close on the three, shutting them in.</p><p>    As the Fae looked at the baby, her parents stood up from their thrones, trying to get a better look, and hoping that she wouldn’t hurt the baby.</p><p>    “Hmm. Mmm...” She studied the child as she thought for a moment. She brought her index finger and middle finger up together, and magic swirled around them as she moved her hand in a circular motion.</p><p>    “Listen well, all of you,” The green magic now swirled around her entire hand as she moved it fluidly above the curious princess.</p><p>    “The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who meet her,”</p><p>    “That’s a lovely gift,” Leila said, hoping that Maleficent would stop there.</p><p>    Maleficent turns her attention away from the baby, and to the parents. They had pleading looks on both of their faces.</p><p>    Leila, not finding any comfort, looked at Dawn with a pleading look in her eyes. “Please...” She whispered, hoping that Dawn would be able to do something. But to her dismay, Dawn merely flicked her index finger to her lips. <em>‘Shhh.’</em></p><p>Maleficent slowly turned her head to look behind her. Her eyes fell on a spinning wheel, and a wicked smile spread on her face.</p><p>    “But...” Green magic rose around her like fire as she rose her hands up. <em>“Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a sleep like death! A sleep from which she will never awaken!”</em></p><p>    Stefan stepped forward. “Maleficent, please don’t do this!” He pleaded. “I’m begging you!”</p><p>    “I like you begging,” Maleficent looked at him. “Do it again,”</p><p>    A wild and crazed smile appeared on Dawn’s face. She loved the idea of him kneeling before Maleficent and begging for his daughter’s life.</p><p>    Stefan hesitantly went to his knees. He looked at his men, who looked at him disapprovingly. Dawn felt angry at him. He was begging for his daughter’s life, and he was worried about what his men would think of him. Pathetic.</p><p>    “I...” Stefan swallowed. “I beg you...”</p><p>    Maleficent, seemingly satisfied, spoke again. “Alright...”</p><p>    Stefan looked relieved for a moment.</p><p>    “The princess <em>can</em> be woken from her death sleep. But only by...” She looked straight at Stefan. “...true love’s kiss,” She said it with such distant and such bitterness, Stefan felt a chill run down his spine.</p><p>    She turned around to speak to the terrified crowd. Her magic grew brighter. <em>“This curse will last till the end of time! No power on Earth can change it!”</em></p><p>    The magic crashed back down onto a laughing Maleficent.</p><p>    Dawn cackled like a maniac, as she taunted them with the song they had sang not so long ago. “Health to the Princess, wealth to the Princess, long live the Princess Aurora!”</p><p>    Stefan, seeing the opportunity, stood up. His fury was so bright in his eyes that it was a surprise he wasn't catching fire from the heat in his glare.</p><p>    “Seize those creatures!” He ordered the guards as he pointed at them.</p><p>    The guards all rushed towards Maleficent and Dawn. She unleashed her green magic onto them. “Stand back, you fools!” She yelled as they were all sent flying back several feet.</p><p>    Stefan grabbed his own sword, and charged straight for Maleficent. He brought his sword down, but a cloud of red magic blocked him. Before he could react, Dawn flipped the sword out of his hands, and sent it clattering on the stone floor.</p><p>    Stefan, still determined, charged towards Dawn without a weapon. Leila, seeing how much danger her husband was putting himself in, grabbed him by the arm, trying to stop him. Dawn unleashed a bolt on red energy onto Stefan, but as Leila pulled Stefan back, the magic hit her instead. With a cry of pain, the magic hit her directly in the abdomen, sending her flying backwards.</p><p>    The crowd all cried out and began to panic as they saw their Queen fall.</p><p>    “No!” Stefan cried out as he rushed to Leila’s side.</p><p>    A look of pure shock and horror flashed in Dawn’s face for a moment. It almost made Stefan hopeful that she would help his wife. But he got his hopes too high, and disappointment crashed onto him like a wave when Dawn sighed. “Stefan, Stefan, Stefan... When will you learn that your actions have consequences?”</p><p>    As the King looked at her, horrified, Dawn laughed like a maniac as she turned her back away from them. Maleficent, getting one last look at Stefan’s newfound misery, turned around, and laughed sinisterly as they left the castle in a flash of green light.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Madness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Soon after that day, King Stefan ordered his men to seize every spinning wheel in the kingdom. The wheels were broken and burned, that they might never be used, and thrown into the deepest dungeon in the castle.</p><p>    The whole kingdom worried for the wellbeing of the Queen. She lay in the infirmary. Although the cut was deep, the doctors say that she will live. But she will never produce another healthy child ever again.</p><p>    When Leila heard the doctor utter that sentence, she felt her whole world crumble. She summoned the king, who now kneeled beside her bed.</p><p>    “Why...” She breathed.</p><p>    Stefan took her hand gently. “What?”</p><p>    “Why... couldn’t you just... kill them?” She asked.</p><p>    Stefan felt guilt and regret drill into his stomach. “I wasn’t strong enough to do it then. But I am now. And I promise you... they will both die,”</p><p>    Stefan then shut himself behind the walls of his castle, while his soldiers rode far and wide to hunt Maleficent and Dawn down.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Maleficent used her magic, and grew massive thorn trees around the Moors. They tore themselves out of the ground, and acted as a fearsome wall, so that no fairy would ever suffer the touch of a human ever again.</p><p>    Dawn looked up at the wall, wishing that they could grow higher. She didn’t feel safe from the humans, no matter how high and mighty the wall was. But she knew that the humans would stand no chance against Maleficent’s magic. A wide and evil grin was etched into her face, her dark hair swaying lazily in the breeze.</p><p>    Something took over her. Her sleep deprivation overcame her, and her mind became unhinged. She raised her head up to the sky, and let out a chilling maniacal laugh. She couldn’t stop. She laughed until tears brimmed her eyes. She laughed until her stomach hurt. She laughed until she collapsed.</p><p>    She lay on the ground, her face buried in the grass. She laughs died off as her body demanded sleep. Darkness overcame her as her body went limp, and her mind went blank.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn awoke to a throbbing in her head. She held her head as the groaned and sat upwards. She was no longer at that thorn wall. As the throbbing went away, she noticed something.</p><p>    Her eyes no longer hurt.</p><p>    For days, she had denied herself sleep until their revenge was carried out. Now that it has happened, she had finally let herself sleep. And now, her eyes no longer ached, which no longer gave her a headache.</p><p>    “Are you alright?”</p><p>    Dawn recognized that voice anywhere. “I’m fine, raven,”</p><p>    Diaval put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve been asleep for some time,”</p><p>    Dawn chuckled dryly to herself. “Yes... well I guess that’s what happens when you don’t sleep for a while,” She looked up at him. “How long has it been?”</p><p>    “You’ve been asleep for three days,”</p><p>    Dawn didn’t have time to be shocked, because before she could respond, she heard a large crowd cheering in the distance.</p><p>    “What is that?” Dawn demanded as she stood up.</p><p>    Diaval held his hands up. “Slowly, slowly,”</p><p>    Dawn rolled her eyes and brushed it off. “What is that?” She demanded once again.</p><p>    Diaval sighed, giving up. “Humans are outside,” He explained. “They’re trying to burn down the wall,”</p><p>    She immediately spread her wings and took flight. As she did so, a sudden feeling of lightheadedness took over her. She shook her head, brushing it off as she continued to fly.</p><p>    She saw the burning fire’s hue in the night. She rushed towards it, and stopped in her tracks. She hovered in midair, horrified at what she was seeing. A large troop of heavily armored humans were using catapults to launch big balls of fire into the wall of thorns, but Maleficent’s magic made them grow taller. They crashed into the troops, sending them flying.</p><p>    A few creatures managed to get out of the Moors, and they were determined to fight and protect their home. Dawn watched in horror as the brave creatures were engulfed in a mound of swords and iron. They were overwhelmed by the group of men that rushed onto them. They began to tear and hack at their bodies, and the creatures screamed in pain and terror as they began to tear them apart limb from limb.</p><p>    Rage and anger burned inside her. These monsters had ravaged the lands for so long. Fury boiled inside of her as she screamed a battle cry, and rushed forward to the fray. She knew what awaited in that mound of violence. Her fellow fairies were there, and she was going to save them. But something else was there too…</p><p>    Death would be waiting for her in the battle. She was welcoming it gratefully. As her anger and hate overcame her, she quickened her wingbeats. Only one thought penetrated her mind.</p><p>    <em>KILL THEM ALL!!</em></p><p>Dawn had launched herself across the plain and with her fingers, latched firmly onto a man’s iron-clad back, burning her hands and bubbling her skin. The man roared and flung around wildly. Dawn lost her grip and was thrown across the plain. She hit the ground with a <em>bang</em> and collapsed. The Fae scrambled off the ground as a crowd of humans stormed towards her.</p><p>    “You BITCH!” One of them raged as he raised his weapon.</p><p>    Dawn laughed maniacally, catching the man off guard. She raised a magical shield as the man brought down his sword. She pushed him backwards with her magic, but seven more men were coming straight towards her.</p><p>    The next following moments, were filled with Dawn blindly flinging her magic left and right. It seemed as if she took down one, three more would take his place. She was soon overcome with iron weapons, making her scream in pain as she was burned, sliced and torn in multiple different places.</p><p>    But suddenly, they all stopped. A blast of green energy killed them all where they stood. Dawn struggled to stand. The burns and wounds on her body made her weak and dizzy. She shook her head as she tried to shake it off, ready to attack the remaining humans.</p><p>Unexpectedly, as she leapt for the group of humans, Dawn was hit violently from her right side, and suddenly found herself pinned to the ground. She landed hard on her back. Something was holding her down, completely immobilizing her. She looked up to see not a human on top of her, but Maleficent.</p><p>    “No, Dawn!” She commanded her.</p><p>    Dawn struggled against Maleficent, who only held her firmer.</p><p>    “Stop! You’ll be killed just like the others!”</p><p>    "I…DON'T…CARE!" Dawn screamed furiously, putting emphasis on every syllable. She was struggling with all of her strength to get her off of her. "THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM US! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM <em>YOU!</em> THEY RUINED OUR LIVES! I HAVE TO KILL THEM! THEY…<strong>HAVE…</strong>TO…DIE!”</p><p>    In spite of her uncontrolled rage, she suddenly became fearful. Maleficent had unleashed a primal scream from on top of her, and unleashed her magic on all the humans around them, causing Dawn to flinch, and the humans to retreat. Maleficent growled as she pinned Dawn’s wrists above her head, and tears welled up in her eyes.</p><p>    “Please!” She shouted. “I’ve lost enough fairies today!”</p><p>    Dawn stared at her, utterly terrified. She had never seen Maleficent act this way towards her before, and she never wanted to see it again. She stopped struggling, and she let her body go limp as she let her head fall in the dirt.</p><p>    In the background, the fairies’ screaming had stopped. The sounds of the remaining humans’ weapons, taunting laughter, and of flesh tearing were incredibly prominent. Dawn turned her head away, unable to look. She saw a flash of green light, and heard the clank of armor falling to the ground.</p><p>    She finally felt Maleficent’s weight being taken off of her. She rolled to the side, tears in her remaining eye. Her eye burning, she looked up at the healing wall of thorns.</p><p>    “It’s not enough...” Dawn whispered.</p><p>    “What?”</p><p>    Dawn chuckled as she stood up. “It’s not enough...” She staggered towards the wall. “It’s not...” Red magic swirled her hands. “...ENOUGH!”</p><p>    Red magic encased the wall of thorns, and they began to grow taller. They appeared to grow, but they were only being pulled from their roots.</p><p>    “Dawn, that’s enough!” Maleficent commanded.</p><p>    “NO IT’S NOT!” Dawn shouted back. “THEY CAME TO ATTACK, AND WE HAVE TO PROTECT OURSELVES!” Her arms began to shake. “I WILL NOT FEEL LIKE YOU ARE SAFE UNTIL I CAN NO LONGER SEE THE SKY!”</p><p>    Every single bit of hate that Dawn had for the humans was merely a drop of water in the raging river of loathing that now overcame her. Madness overcame her mind as she ripped up the wall, thinking she was making it grow.</p><p>    As she did this, one thought ran through her mind.</p><p>    <em>You failed.</em></p><p>    She could not escape the reality of this. She failed to protect the Moors like she had promised. Every time before now, her failure always had some silver lining in it. Something good could be made from it, but now there was nothing good to come.</p><p>    Her arms felt as if they were on fire. She had driven them to the point that they were being stabbed by a thousand knives of pain over and over again. Breathing heavily, she grabbed onto the ground she lay in, trying to ignore her aches. She hadn’t even noticed that she had collapsed, along with the wall.</p><p>    She sobbed exhaustedly, feeling faint as her head spun around and around.</p><p>    She became aware that something was moving in front of her. She weakly lifted her head and opened her eyes. The wall was being rebuilt, green magic swirling around it. It was then, she knew that she had ruined it.</p><p>    She sobbed unto the dirt, vaguely aware of Maleficent helping her to her feet. She clutched her black robes.</p><p>    “I’m sorry...” She whispered. “I’m sorry...”</p><p>    Maleficent stroked Dawn’s hair as she kept muttering: ‘I’m sorry,’ over and over and over again. The next few moments were but a blur to Dawn. It felt like seconds passed when they reached Maleficent’s tree deep in the Moors.</p><p>    Dawn was placed at the base of the tree. She still clutched Maleficent’s arm as she drifted away.</p><p>    “I’m sorry...” She whispered one final time before she allowed herself to slip away into darkness.</p><p>    Her hand fell from Maleficent’s arm, and it fell to her side in the soft grass.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Trust</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    “You failed me...”</p><p>    The captain and his men reported their failure to the King. He had ordered them to burn down the wall, but when it was burned, it only grew greater in size.</p><p>    “The wall cannot be burnt!” The Captain tried to explain. “It is indestructible!”</p><p>    King Stefan slowly walked up to the Captain. His mouth curled upwards, which only made the Captain more nervous as he shifted a little, waiting for the King’s response.</p><p>    Unexpectedly, Stefan slapped him square in the face with a backhanded slap. The Captain clutched his cheek as he looked at him in shock.</p><p>    “Nothing!” Stefan shouted. “Is indestructible!” He began to pace. “Not the wall! Not Maleficent! Not Dawn! Not even the damned curse!” He pointed straight at the Captain. “You. Your men almost killed Dawn. We were one step closer to victory! And you let it slip away!”</p><p>    “I wouldn’t speak to him in such a manner if I were you,”</p><p>    Stefan whipped his head around. “What?”</p><p>    One of his men stood in the corner. “I wouldn’t go testing your authority here, Stefan,”</p><p>    Stefan slammed his fist on the table. “I am King! Not you!”</p><p>    The man raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”</p><p>    Fear flashed in Stefan’s eyes as he shifted nervously.</p><p>    The man continued. “You slain the mighty fairies. But lo and behold, not one year later, there they stand,”</p><p>    Stefan grabbed his knife and stuck it in the table. “None of that matters! What happened is in the past. What matters now, it that Maleficent and Dawn die within the next sixteen years!”</p><p>    He looked back down at the table, hair out of place. His gaze traveled to the knife imbedded in the table, splitting the wood. He fingered the handle. You could almost see the light going off in his head.</p><p>    “Bring me the iron workers,”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn awoke easily. Usually, it took her a few minutes upon waking to fully awake, but this particular morning she felt none of that. It was as if somebody had just switched an “on” switch inside of her.</p><p>    She made to get up, but don’t get very far before collapsing back down. Her right arm was now red hot with pain. She curled into a ball on the ground as she cradled her arm.</p><p>    <em>Fuck! Please don’t tell me it’s broken!</em></p><p>    After what feels like hours, she began to start recognizing the scenery around her. They sky, the wall, the tree against her back. She was at Maleficent’s tree. She slowly turned her head, and saw Maleficent, sitting on the edge of the cliff, her back facing towards her.</p><p>    A sigh of relief that quickly turned into a coughing fit left her. This had seemed to catch Maleficent’s attention, as she quickly rose from where she sat and hurried— <em>sprinted</em>, over to her side.</p><p>    “You’re alive,” Was all she said before her shoulders went limp and a deep sigh emerged from her throat. “I- I thought you were...” Tears started welling up in her eyes.</p><p>    “Dead?” Another cough left Dawn as you glance over to her. “I’m alive,” Her voice was hoarse, and like every little thing she’d done so far, shoots pain throughout her body. “I’m okay,”</p><p>    Doubt shot through Maleficent’s eyes. “You are <em>not</em> okay. I find you fighting a losing battle, broken, bloody and burned!” Realizing that she’s coming off a little too harsh for someone who was just unconscious, she softens her voice again. “I was terrified. What were you doing?”</p><p>    “I...” Dawn wanted to come up with a good excuse, but there was none. She sighed, closing her eyes as a tear escaped one of them. “I was... scared,” She grimaced at the word she uttered. “I was scared that they would hurt the fairies,” She looked up at Maleficent. “That they would hurt <em>you</em>,”</p><p>    A feeling stirred greatly in Maleficent’s stomach, a feeling that she didn’t recognize. She remembered feeling something very similar to it long ago when she was with Stefan. But this was different, and she couldn’t figure out why it was different.</p><p>    She gingerly took Dawn’s arm in her hands, barely brushing the skin as she turned it over and halting her movements at the very moment she showed any sign of pain.</p><p>    “Your right one is definitely broken, but your left seems fine,”</p><p>    Dawn looked at her in confusion and her eyes widened when Maleficent removed the brown belt from around Dawn’s waist.</p><p>    “What are you doing?”</p><p>    “It’s a spell. I can heal your arm,” She smiled.</p><p>    “And the belt?” Dawn raised an eyebrow.</p><p>    “Well, there’s a downside to it. It can be very painful since the entire healing process is minimized into a few seconds. If I heal an injury that would take months to heal, all of the pain is condensed into the time it takes for me to heal it. Every injury varies, small cuts and bruises aren’t very painful, but it’s things like broken bones or stab wounds that can take a lot out of you,” She explained.</p><p>    Dawn closed her eyes, contemplating this. She opened her eyes, and nodded. “Okay. I trust you,”</p><p>    Maleficent almost stopped right there. That one word. Trust. Even after all these years, she still trusted her with her life. She felt that strange feeling again, and she felt her chest tighten along with the unknown emotion swirling in her stomach.</p><p>    She shook herself out of her thoughts, realizing that Dawn was waiting. She opened her mouth as Maleficent put the belt in-between Dawn’s teeth, and let her bite down hard.</p><p>    Dawn squeezed her eyes shut, grasping onto Maleficent’s hand as tight as she could, preparing herself for the pain. Taking a deep breath, Maleficent moved her hand over Dawn’s bad arm and closed her eyes. A soft golden glow encased around Dawn’s forearm.</p><p>    She concentrated on Dawn’s injury. Dawn quickly felt the searing, sharp pain of her bones rearranging themselves. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remain strong until it was done healing, but the pain was almost too distracting.</p><p>    She screamed through the belt, almost biting straight through the fabric as her muffled scream filled the air. Maleficent cringed and the sounds Dawn made. It hurt her heart to hear Dawn suffer this much.</p><p>    It was over in less than thirty seconds, and as soon as it was done, Dawn sagged forward and the belt fell from her mouth.</p><p>    “Are you alright?” Maleficent asked, catching her as she fell to the side.</p><p>    She nodded weakly and held up her wrist, twisting it around to make sure it was healed. She looked up at Maleficent, and smiled.</p><p>    “Thank you...” She whispered.</p><p>    Their eyes locked. It was only for a moment, but it seemed like an eternity to Dawn. A wonderful, and blissful eternity. Those golden eyes that captured her heart, reminded her what she really wanted. Although revenge was sweet, it was only an added bonus to what her true goal was. Even if their relationship stayed the same, at least she still had her.</p><p>    She was so close to her; she could feel her warm breath on her lips. She couldn't tear her eyes away from hers.</p><p>    Maleficent cleared her throat, tearing her gaze away. “I should tell you,” She changed the subject. “We found the child. She’s being raised in a cottage in the woods by three pixies disguised as peasant women,”</p><p>    She raised an eyebrow. “Knotgrass, Flittle and Thistlewit?” Dawn couldn’t help but burst out a laugh. “Idiots! Those three? Raising a baby? This is going to be a disaster, This I have to see,”</p><p>    Soon after, Maleficent lead her to the cottage. But the whole time they walked, Dawn felt deep disappointment. She had been so close. <em>So close</em>. But she just let it slip away, just like all the other times before. She ruined her chance, and she hated herself for it.</p><p>    She walked like a ghost, her feet not making a noise; the only telling of her passing was the swish of her wings against the ground as she swept through the Moors, and to the cottage.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    This was a total disaster.</p><p>    The pixies didn’t know the first thing about farming, for Knotgrass was only stabbing the soil with a random tool that she found in the shed. And they didn’t know the first thing about raising a human baby. The two Fae and the raven watched with extreme disappointment, and second-hand embarrassment as they tried to feed Aurora full-grown veggies. They didn’t even try to cut them up, or turn them into mash so she could eat them properly. They just hovered the full vegetables above the crying baby’s head, as if she would pluck it from their hands and eat it herself.</p><p>    Pathetic.</p><p>    After hours of the baby crying, Maleficent couldn’t take it anymore. She sent Diaval with a flower, dripping with thick and sweet nectar. He fed it to the baby, who sucked the nectar from the flower like milk from a bottle. After she was finished, the raven rocked it to sleep with his clawed foot, making Aurora slowly but surely fall asleep.</p><p>    Dawn felt immense relief after that. She knew what it was like to be so, so hungry, but can’t do anything about it. She felt disgusted at herself. This was the daughter of the man who betrayed them. Who betrayed <em>Maleficent</em>. But she somehow felt bad for the child. She was only a child, after all.</p><p>    One night, Dawn looked into the open window of Aurora’s room. The baby seemed to sense her presence, and wake up from her slumber. She looked up at her. Dawn expected to see some sort of fear, or at the very least, confusion on the baby’s face. But what she got instead, was a smile.</p><p>    Dawn gently stuck her finger out. Aurora cooed and took her finger in her small pudgy hands. The baby smiled immensely at the Fae, a look of wonder and blind love in her eyes.</p><p>    Dawn found herself smiling at the child as well. She wiped the smile off of her face, and huffed, taking her hand away from the child’s grip.</p><p>    “You’re not cute,” She denied the fact.</p><p>    The baby smiled again.</p><p>    She leaned in, speaking to the baby. “No, you’re not,”</p><p>    She didn’t know this, but as she turned away, Aurora waved her small hand, saying goodbye.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. A Bit of Fun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    About five years passed since then. Dawn remembered one particular day, the pixies were playing a board game in the cottage. Flittle accused Knotgrass of cheating. Flittle demanded that they start over. That’s when Flittle called her a ‘greedy, bloated goat!’</p><p>    As Knotgrass set the game up again, a small stream of water hit her in the head, and stopped soon after. She grew angry at the other two, scolding them for using magic. They denied that they did it, but more water splashed onto her head. She told them to stop it, and after that the water seemed to stop.</p><p>    Satisfied, Knotgrass sat back down, and continued to set the game up. A continuous stream of water splashed onto her head again, but this time, it didn’t stop. Flittle and Thistlewit laughed at her, until the same happened to them, and they started to scream.</p><p>    Soon, a heavy rainfall took place in the cottage. Knotgrass told the other two screaming pixies, that it was ‘all their fault!’</p><p>    But outside, it was perfectly sunny, and not a cloud was in the sky. Unbeknownst to the pixies, Maleficent was outside. She laughed to herself as she made it rain in the cottage. Dawn laughed as well. There was something humorous about seeing a crazy storm happen at one place, but it was perfectly calm everywhere else.</p><p>    Maleficent raised her shoulders in joy as she leaned back onto the tree. She looked at the human Diaval, who gave her a disapproving look.</p><p>    Maleficent smiled at him. “Oh come on, that’s funny,”</p><p>    It was the first time in a long time that Dawn had seen Maleficent enjoy herself. It made her happy to see her genuinely enjoying something. Even if it was terrorizing three pixies.</p><p>    On this one particular day, Maleficent and Dawn sat in a tree. The tree was on a high hill. Ahead of them, there was a tall cliff covered with lush grass and wildflowers. There, the pixies and 5-year old Aurora were enjoying a picnic. Aurora was playing; chasing a butterfly to be exact. The pixies watched her carefully, warning her if she ever got too close to the cliff. Dawn hated to admit it, but the pixies were getting better at raising Aurora. But they still had a terrible temper with each other.</p><p>    Maleficent decided to stir things up. She used her magic to pull Flittle’s hair downwards.</p><p>    “Ow!” She grabbed her scalp in slight pain.</p><p>    She looked to the closest person to her. Thistlewit. Thinking it was Thistletwit that pulled her hair, she grabs her hair and gives it a hard yank.</p><p>    “Ow!”</p><p>    In frustration, Thistletwit’s then pulls Flittle’s hair harder than she had to her.</p><p>    “Ow!”</p><p>    Dawn decided to join in on the fun. Laughing to herself, she used her magic to throw Knotgrass’s hat off her head. The red pixie looks at Thistletwit, angry.</p><p>    “You!”</p><p>    Knotgrass and Flittle had enough. Thinking she was the start to all the chaos, they two pixies start hitting Thistletwit, making them all fall down on their backs.</p><p>    The Fae watched them in amusement, much to the disapproval of Diaval. It was then that Maleficent noticed Aurora, rushing off towards the edge of cliff again, chasing a different butterfly than before.</p><p>    “Oh look,” Maleficent in the same way one would talk about the weather. “The little beast is about to fall off the cliff,”</p><p>    The two Fae watched as the child got closer and closer the the edge. As Maleficent watched calmly, Dawn began to grow anxious. Her nerves grew as Aurora ran closer and closer. Right as she was about to fall off, Dawn shouted anxiously, “Maleficent!”</p><p>    As the child fell with a scream, Maleficent used her magic to catch her. She controlled the branches at the edge of the cliff, almost acting like large hands, and they caught Aurora. As they lifted her up towards the cliff again, the child continued to laugh, and attempt to catch the butterfly the whole way up.</p><p>    As the branches gently put her down on the ground, Maleficent looked at Dawn with a questioning look.</p><p>    Dawn crossed her arms and huffed. “I-I didn’t care what happened,” She lied as she shifted her eyes around.</p><p>    Maleficent rolled her eyes as she leaned on the tree with a prolonged sigh. Diaval, in raven form, cocked his head at her.</p><p>    “What?” She asked, annoyed at him.</p><p>    The raven gave both Dawn and Maleficent approving looks, which annoyed Dawn.</p><p>    “Shut it, raven,”</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Clean Slates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Like Maleficent said, Aurora did indeed grow in grace in beauty. Dawn hated to admit it, but she was beginning to grow a soft spot for the human girl, though she would never dare utter a word about it to Maleficent.</p><p>    Far away from the lofty palace that Aurora remembered not. And as the seasons changed and the flowers grew, so did she.</p><p>    Dawn now wandered the Moors, waiting for Maleficent to return. She remembered that in two months, the Moors would usually begin to celebrate the legendary <em>‘Festival of Lights.’</em> The festival celebrated the eternal light of the Moors, wether that be metaphorical or literal. The metaphorical meaning, was that the happiness and joy of the Moors would never diminish. The literal meaning, is that of the sun, and the night creatures that glowed in the night.</p><p>    The festival would usually be celebrated all day. When it was daytime, the fairies would celebrate the sun, and its warmth. The daytime celebration was know as <em>‘The Fest of the Sun.’ </em>The nighttime celebration would celebrate the glow of the nighttime fairies, and the bioluminescent plants that grew. It could celebrate how they would always keep the Moors lit up, even if complete darkness overcame the lands. This was known as <em>‘The Celebration of All Souls,’</em></p><p>These two celebrations earned their names, because the first celebration, would celebrate the sun itself. But the last celebration, would celebrate the creatures of the Moors. Not just the ones that glow, but everyone.</p><p>    They hadn’t had The Festival of Lights in over 17 years, since Maleficent became Queen of the Moors. They didn’t celebrate it, because it reminded her too much of the time when she had her wings, and when she was happy.</p><p>    Dawn looked at the waterfall that fell into a lake. It was then when she noticed that she hadn’t cleaned herself in a long time. Sure, she would take care of herself with the bare minimum, but she had never gone out of her way to do so.</p><p>    She reached the lake in a short amount of time. She stripped down, and dived into the cold water. It took some time to get used to the temperature, but once she did, she swam around easily.</p><p>    As she bathed, she washed her gray dress as well. She had several knee-length dresses, including the colors brown, gray, white, and one that was a dark blue. But she never wore the blue one, for it was made out of silk, and too special to be worn on a normal day.</p><p>    After she was done cleaning her dress, she hung it up on a vine close by, acting like a clothesline. As she soaked, her eyes fell on a jasmine flower. It was big, white and beautiful. She plucked the flower, and squeezed it. The juiced leaked out of the flower, which Dawn caught in her other hand. When she was sure she had gotten it all out, she placed the crushed flower on the grass beside her. She took the jasmine essence, and slathered it generously in her hair. Some she had left over, she washed her body with it.</p><p>    She squeezed another jasmine flower, and washed her feathers with it. She soaked in the jasmine-infused water, enjoying the warmth it brought. For a split-second, she felt worried that she had infused jasmine into the drinking water. But then she remembered how she wasn’t in the main stream, which they all drank from, so she relaxed.</p><p>    Dawn tipped the back of her head into the waterfall behind her, washing all of the access jasmine out of her hair. She did the same with her face, her body, and then her wings.</p><p>    When she felt clean enough, she climbed out of the water. Her soggy wings were giving her a hard time, so she shook off the access water like a dog or a wolf would do.</p><p>    She dried herself off with a large patch of moss, which acted very much like a towel. She put the towel over her head, ruffling her hair as she dried it. When she was finished drying herself off, she got back into her dress.</p><p>    She breathed deeply inwards, and let out a prolonged sigh, a content smile on her face. She hasn’t treated herself like this in many years. It was very refreshing to do so, and she’s glad she did it.</p><p>    As she waited for her hair to dry, she tied it up with braids, hoping that when she would untie them when her hair is dry, it would become wavy. Her hair was always frizzy due to the lack of care. She liked her frizzy hair, but she knew what kind of frizzy it was, wasn’t good for her hair. She hoped after this, it would be healthy again.</p><p>    Soon, her wings completely dried off. She felt her feathers, and noticed that they were softer, and sleeker than before. Before they were slightly ragged and flayed, but now they were smooth and in place. Even in the dark, she could tell that the color was more vibrant.</p><p>    She heard a large crackling noise coming from the wall. She grew excited, knowing that Maleficent had returned. When she arrived at the spot where she heard Maleficent some in to, she noticed that Aurora’s sleeping form was floating next to Maleficent.</p><p>    She went up to Maleficent. “What are you doing?!” She whisper-shouted.</p><p>    “I’m curious,” Is all that Maleficent said.</p><p>    She used her magic to float Aurora down gently onto the grass. As the girl woke up, a wide smile spread on her face as she looked around in awe and wonder. She stood up, not tearing her gaze away from the glowing plants and wildlife.</p><p>    The human girl turned around quickly in alarm when she heard something quickly approaching, but relaxed and smiled when she was that they were water fairies. The luminous blue flying creatures all flew around her in circles, all of them chattering amongst themselves.</p><p>    Aurora laughed in wonderment as they brushed up against her. One of them floated right in front of her face, holding her tiny hand out. Aurora did the same, and the water fairy touched her palm with the girl’s fingertip. The fairy smiled for a bit. Her smiled faltered. She gasped in fear as she looked behind Aurora, seeing Maleficent and Dawn hiding behind a tree. The water fairies all scattered once they knew of the two Fae’s presence.</p><p>    Aurora turned to where the fairy looked. “I know you’re there,” She said. “Don’t be afraid,”</p><p>    Dawn looked over to Maleficent as she chuckled with amusement. “I am not afraid,”</p><p>    “Then come out,”</p><p>    “If I do, then you’ll be afraid,”</p><p>    “No I won’t,” Aurora said with confidence. “Come out. Come out this instant!”</p><p>    Dawn couldn’t help but smile. The young princess reminded her so much of Maleficent when they were young.</p><p>    Maleficent slowly came out of her hiding space. For a moment, Aurora looked afraid. The girl looked behind the Fae.</p><p>    “Both of you,”</p><p>    Dawn was surprised at first, but then she chuckled. “Keen eye, that one,”</p><p>    She too stepped out, and stood at Maleficent’s right side.</p><p>    “I know who you two are,” Aurora said.</p><p>    Dawn cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, do you now?”</p><p>    Aurora nodded. Unexpectedly, a huge smiled formed on her face. “You’re my fairy godmothers!”</p><p>    The Fae were taken aback. None of them were expecting that response.</p><p>    “What?” Maleficent asked in disbelief.</p><p>    Aurora smiled. “Fairy Godmothers,” She relegated. “You two have been watching over me my whole life. I’ve always known you were close by,”</p><p>    “How? Maleficent asked.</p><p>    “Your shadows,” The princess answered. “They’ve been following me ever since I was small. Wherever I went, your shadows were always with me,”</p><p>    Aurora looked at Dawn. “I’ve never seen your wings up close,”</p><p>    Dawn, willing to amuse her, extended one of her wings to its full length.</p><p>    Aurora stroked the colorful wings. She smiled in excitement. “They’re more beautiful than I ever could have imagined!”</p><p>    “How could you tell that I had wings?”</p><p>    “When you flew high enough, I always mistook you as a bird. Until one day, you flew closer to the ground. You were still high up, but I could see your horns, and I recognized you right away,”</p><p>    It was then, Diaval flew in, cawing as he landed on a nearby stone.</p><p>    “I remember you,” Aurora smiled and stroked his black feathers with the back of her index finger. “Pretty bird,”</p><p>    “This is Diaval,” Maleficent introduced him. With a simple wave of her hand, the raven turned into a man, which startled Aurora.</p><p>    “Hello Aurora,” He smiled kindly at her. “I’ve known you since you were a little one,” He took her right hand in his and kissed it.</p><p>    Aurora smiled as she looked around in wonder once again. “It’s everything I imagined it would be,” She turned to Maleficent, excited. “Oh, it’s just so beautiful! I’ve always wanted to come…”</p><p>    It was just then, Maleficent put her to sleep again. She floated in the air, as if she was underwater. As Maleficent walked out of the Moors, with Dawn following close behind, all kinds of creatures and fairies came out of their hiding places to get a look at the human girl.</p><p>    It didn’t take long for them to get to the cottage. Dawn took Aurora in her arms, and prepared to fly her up to her bedroom window.</p><p>    “Goodnight,” Maleficent whispered. “Beastie,”</p><p>    Dawn smiled to herself as she spread her wings and took of. The thrum as she flapped her wings, sent a slight breeze onto Maleficent’s face, carrying a natural scent like that of fresh-water and jasmine. She smiled to herself. Dawn hadn’t smelt of jasmine in over 17 years.</p><p>    As Dawn landed on Aurora’s bedroom windowsill, and very quietly opened the window. She slipped in, cringing when the floorboards creaked. She lay the human down on her bed, and used her magic to cover her up.</p><p>    “Don’t tell Mal this,” Dawn whispered. “But I’m starting to like you,”</p><p>    She smiled to herself as she extended her glossy wings, and jumped out of the window.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Unexpected Comforts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Late at night, Stefan sits in a chair in a confined room. There is no candlelight, but only the small stream on moonlight coming in from the window. In front of the window, was a glass cabinet. The small moonbeam illuminated Maleficent’s wings, which was put up for display.</p><p>    Stefan was sickly looking, like he hasn’t eaten or bathed in days. His cheeks were sunken in, the bags under his eyes were darker than the night sky, and his hair and beard were scruffy.</p><p>    “You mock me,” He whispered. “I know what you’re doing. I know exactly what you’re doing,”</p><p>    Stefan heard someone knock on the door behind him, and then open it with a prolonged <em>crreeaakkk</em>.</p><p>    “Sire?” A servant asked him as he stood in the doorway. “Your presence has been requested by the Queen,”</p><p>    “Leave me,” The King dismissed him.</p><p>    “Sire, she is not well,” The man tried to reason with the king. “The nurses are fearful that she won’t make it through the night,”</p><p>    The servant had expected Stefan to leap to his feet in fear for his wife’s life. But instead, he only held his index finger to his lips. “Shhh. Can’t you see we’re in the middle of a conversation?”</p><p>    The servant looked up, and saw Maleficent’s wings in a display case. The King has gone mad, the man reasoned. He didn’t blame him, though. His mind struggled to find a way to get the King to follow him.</p><p>    “Please sire...”</p><p>    Stefan turned to look at him. “Did you not hear me? I said-”</p><p>    “The Queen may have some formation on Maleficent and Dawn,” The man blurted out. He knew that the only thing Stefan cared about right now, was the hunt of the two fairies. He felt guilty he lied to the King, but the Queen was dying. She needed to see him one last time.</p><p>    As expected, Stefan leapt to his feet. “Bring me to her,”</p><p>    The servant escorted the King to the Queen’s chambers. As Stefan entered the room, he stopped in his tracks. He saw his Queen Leila, lying on her bed. She was deathly pale and coated in a layer of sweat.</p><p>    Stefan turned to his servant. “What happened?”</p><p>    “Like I told you sir... Queen Leila is dying,”</p><p>    Stefan looked angry. “You never said anything about that!”</p><p>    He rushed past the servants, and kneeled next to his wife. She smiled weakly, and took his hand.</p><p>    “Darling...” She breathed.</p><p>    “What’s wrong with you?”</p><p>    Her face turned grave. She slowly took of her blanket, and revealed what happened. Stefan gasped and recoiled. The gash she had received on her abdomen many years ago, seemed to have become infected once again.</p><p>    “How...” He struggled for words. “How is this possible?! You’ve healed years ago! It was only a scar! A scar!”</p><p>    One of the nurses cleared her throat. “We’re not entirely sure sire, but she was struck with fairy magic. We don’t know the long term affects of magical injuries,”</p><p>    Stefan grew angry. “Dawn...” He murmured. “Maleficent... they did this to you...” He screamed and threw down a golden goblet of water angrily on the floor. He turned back to Leila. “The servant told me you had information about Dawn and Maleficent,”</p><p>    Leila nodded. “Yes... I suppose I do...”</p><p>    The servant who brought the Stefan here was surprised. He lied to the King about her having information. He was lucky that she actually did have some.</p><p>    “Maleficent scattered many of our troops stationed along the boarder of the Moors,” Leila breathed. “Those who survived, say that Maleficent had a mad black wolf with her, and they attacked them. Dawn was nowhere to be found,”</p><p>    Stefan nodded. “She’s getting bolder,” He kneeled next to his wife again when she began to have a coughing fit.</p><p>    “I don’t have much time,” She struggled to get the words out. “Avenge our daughter,” She looked him straight in the eye. “Avenge me...”</p><p>    And with that, her last breath left her lungs, and her hand fell to the bed. Stefan’s face grew hard. He remembered before he was king, Henry said the same thing. To avenge him, and kill the winged creatures. But this time... he wasn’t afraid to do so anymore.</p><p>    Stefan nodded. “I will avenge you and our daughter...” He kissed her on the forehead. “I promise you...”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Aurora snuck out of her cottage late at night, careful not to awaken her aunts sleeping in their bed. She put on her coat, and practically ran to the wall of thorns. When she arrived, she brought the hood of her cloak down.</p><p>    “Fairy godmothers?” She called out.</p><p>    Nothing.</p><p>    “Fairy godmothers?!” She said a little louder than last time.</p><p>    She waited. Suddenly, she heard a cracking deep in the Moors, and she saw the thorns move out of the way. There, was Dawn, smiling. Aurora observed that she still had many small braids in her hair.</p><p>    “Come,” She extended her arm. “Mal is waiting for you,”</p><p>    She took her hand. “Mal?” Her face lit up. “Is that my other fairy godmother’s name?”</p><p>    Dawn nodded. The two began to walk into the Moors as the thorns split apart for them, and then closing back up when they walked past.</p><p>    “Then what’s your name?” Aurora asked.</p><p>    Dawn hesitated for a moment. Finally, she spoke. “You can call me whatever you like,”</p><p>    Aurora looked disappointed for a moment, but then she smiled. “I’m going to call you Bow. Is that alright?”</p><p>    Dawn chuckled. “Bow?”</p><p>    The human nodded. “Yes. Your wings are rainbow,” She explained. “Bow, rain<em>bow</em>,”</p><p>    Dawn nodded. “Alright, Bow it is then,”</p><p>    Aurora looked satisfied as well. Before they knew it, they were inside the Moors, the wall of thorns closing up behind them.</p><p>    “Why do you have a wall of thorns?” Aurora asked.</p><p>    “It’s for protection,” Dawn explained. “They last time we welcomed a stranger in, they betrayed us. They’ve been trying to attack the Moors ever since,”</p><p>    “Oh,” Aurora understood. “I’m sorry that none of you feel safe. Hopefully one day that will change,”</p><p>    “Yes, hopefully,” Dawn agreed.</p><p>    Aurora smiled when she saw what was ahead of them. It was Maleficent. The human ran up to her, a bright smile on her face.</p><p>    “Godmother Mal!” She enthusiastically greeted her.</p><p>    Maleficent cocked an eyebrow as the corner of her lips curled up ever so slightly. “Mal?”</p><p>    Aurora became confused, and then understood what was happening. “Oh, yes. Since you didn’t tell me your name, Godmother Bow told me,”</p><p>    Maleficent snickered. “Bow?”</p><p>    “She said I could call her whatever I wanted, so I’m calling her Bow,”</p><p>    Dawn rolled her eyes as Maleficent chuckled at the name.</p><p>    Aurora immediately became fascinated by the other water fairies in the lake. As they dipped their small feet in the water, a swirl of neon colors danced across the surface of the lake.</p><p>    “They’re so beautiful...” Aurora breathed in awe.</p><p>    Maleficent thought for a moment, before she plucked an orange flower from the ground. She handed it to Aurora.</p><p>    “Drop this in,”</p><p>    Aurora nodded, and dropped the flower in the lake. The moment it touched the surface, the fairy’s magic made it explode with color. It rose like neon smoke, and it glowed a breathtaking orange, red and yellow. The mist swirled around Aurora’s arms as she laughed in wonderment.</p><p>    “This is amazing...” She laughed. “It’s almost like a fire,”</p><p>    An idea popped into Dawn’s head. “Aurora. In about one month, there will be a festival,”</p><p>    Aurora’s face lit up. “In The Moors?”</p><p>    Dawn nodded. “Yes. It’s called <em>‘Festival of Lights,’”</em></p><p>The human became excited. “I would love to go!”</p><p>    “It lasts all day. During the daytime, there is, ‘<em>The Fest of the Sun,’ </em>And during the night, there is ‘<em>The Celebration of All Souls,’”</em></p><p>“May I go?”</p><p>    “Well... that’s up for Mal to decide,” She looked up at her fellow Fae. “We haven’t celebrated in years, but maybe this year we can... What do you say, Mal?”</p><p>    Maleficent froze. She didn’t like to think about any time before she lost her wings, for it brought too much pain. She was about to say no, until she saw Aurora’s face. She had a pleading look on her face that the Fae just couldn’t resist. She sighed.</p><p>    “Oh, alright,”</p><p>    Aurora jumped up and down excitedly. “Yes! We’re going to have so much fun!”</p><p>    Dawn smiled at Maleficent knowingly. Maleficent tried to look annoyed, but she just couldn’t help the smile that cracked her stoic expression.</p><p>    Soon after, Aurora got into a fun looking mud fight with a few creatures. Dawn laughed as she watched, but to her surprise, Aurora pulled her in. She crashed into the mud, getting it everywhere. She gasped as everyone else laughed. The Fae smirked at Aurora as she gathered up as much mud in her hands as possible. The human’s smile disappeared as Dawn chased her around.</p><p>    Dawn was about to throw the mud at her, but she slipped on the slippery surface, causing her to get the mud all all over herself. The creatures laughed at her as she rolled her eyes at them.</p><p>    Maleficent chuckled to herself as Dawn tried to get up, but she slipped again. A small chuckle soon turned into full-blown, uncontrolled laugher as Dawn slipped left and right, and fell like she was on ice skates with no shoelaces.</p><p>    Her laughter stopped as mud hit her in the face. The creatures grew fearful as they lowered their mud balls. Diaval began to laugh at her as he clutched his stomach. Maleficent raised an eyebrow as he laughed. She flicked her hand, and using her magic, she flung mud at Diaval. The mud completely covered his face, making his laughter stop.</p><p>    Everyone’s nerves calmed down as they laughed. Maleficent smiled as the others laughed. She looked at Dawn again, who tried to get up, but she slipped again. Maleficent just could help but laugh even more. Dawn’s legs flailed left and right as she struggled to stay upwards. Suddenly, she just stopped moving her legs. She kept them as still as she could, sticking her arms out for balance. Her triumph was short lived as she began to slip. Remaining in the same position, she began to slip downhill. Her stiff legs lost control, and she fell completely flat on her back.</p><p>    Dawn looked up at Maleficent in awe. She had never heard her beautiful laugh of joy in so long. She absolutely adored it.</p><p>    After all of the fun, Dawn lead Aurora to the bathing pools. After the human got cleaned up, Maleficent offered to take her home, which she accepted. Before she left she waved to Dawn.</p><p>    “Goodbye, fairy godmother Bow!” She waved goodbye.</p><p>    Dawn did the same. “Goodbye Aurora! See you at the festival!”</p><p>    She could see the human’s joy at the mention of The Festival of Lights. Dawn was looking forward to it as well.</p><p>    Dawn cleaned herself in her jasmine infused bath. After she was done, she put her hair in many small braids like the did the night before. She dried off, and put on her white dress, for it was the only dress of hers that wasn’t silk, or covered in mud. Her gray and brown dresses hung on her vine clothesline, still dripping wet from when she washed them.</p><p>    Dawn hadn’t felt this good in so long. The days of her sleep deprivation and madness seemed forever ago. Her skin was clearer, she no longer had black bags under her eyes, and her anxiety, although still there at times, had lessened greatly. She was glad that it was all in the past now.</p><p>    About a half hour had passed when Maleficent came back. Dawn came to greet her. She stopped when she noticed something. Maleficent looked as if she was crying.</p><p>    “Are you okay?” Dawn asked worriedly.</p><p>    “I can’t revoke the curse...” Maleficent breathed.</p><p>    Dawn’s heart stopped. She had completely forgotten about the curse. “Oh no...” Her face lit up again. “But she can wake up, remember? True love’s kiss can wake her up!”</p><p>    Maleficent looked at her. She looked like she was about to say something, but she just looked down to the ground.</p><p>    Dawn put her hands on Maleficent’s shoulders. “Hey, look at me,” Her golden eyes met her scarlet and pale ones. “It’ll turn out, you’ll see,”</p><p>    Maleficent silently nodded.</p><p>    “Come on,” Dawn lead her in the direction of the tree. “You need some rest. Forget about the curse for now...”</p><p>    Maleficent followed Dawn to her tree. They two of them sat at the base of the tree. Maleficent let herself lay her head upon Dawn’s shoulder. Dawn rubbed her shoulder as she comforted her.</p><p>    Maleficent leaned in close, feeling comfortable against Dawn. But then, something happened she did not expect. Her golden eyes suddenly became heavy lidded as she did something she never would have suspected. She leant towards Dawn and took in an audible deep breath as she took in her scent. Maleficent felt her gold eyes widen in shock.</p><p>    Suddenly, Dawn closed whatever distance had been present between their bodies. Maleficent stiffened as she struggled not to make a strangled sound as Dawn pressed her body against hers.</p><p>    She looked up, and saw that Dawn was asleep. Maleficent’s instincts told her to move, but she just couldn’t. She soon fell asleep, confused about how she thinks of Dawn.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Festival of Lights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    <em>Wings. A pair of brown wings was all he saw. They weren’t in the glass case anymore, but they were on the floor, with broken glass scattered around it. Dawn’s maniacal laughter echoed in the halls, as Maleficent’s scream of pain overcame his ears, and a flash of red light.</em></p><p>    Stefan woke up in a cold sweat, clutching the sheets and panting.</p><p>    “She’s coming,” He whispered to himself. “They’re both coming,”</p><p>    Stefan marched right down to the iron workers workshop. He found the head iron worker, asleep in a stool. He grabbed a bucket of water, and splashed it onto his face, waking him up with a jolt.</p><p>    “Where are your workers?” Stefan demanded to know.</p><p>    The overseer stood up, wiping the water off of his face. “Uh…in their beds, Majesty,”</p><p>    “Get them to work now, without delay,” Stefan demanded.</p><p>    “What?” The Overseer asked. “They’re exhausted, sire. But I’ll have them back to work at first light,” He added the last part as to placate the King.</p><p>    “I need them back to work now,”</p><p>    “But... it’s the wee hours,” The Overseer tried to reason.</p><p>    “Aye. It’s the wee hours,” Stefan put a hand on the Overseer’s shoulder. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “So wake them up!”</p><p>    “Sire?”</p><p>    “So wake them up, and get them back to work now! We’re running out of time! Or have you forgotten to cursed your Princess and killed your Queen?!”</p><p>    The Overseer dwelled on his words. He nodded. “Aye, sir,”</p><p>    “Go, now!”</p><p>    The man nearly sprinted to wake up the workers. Stefan smiled to himself. Finally, he will be at peace when the fairies are dead.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    It was the day of The Festival of Lights. All night last night, everyone was decorating the forest with ornaments and many different types of food (mostly berries). When Aurora arrived, the sun hasn’t even risen yet. She said that the Moors were more beautiful not than they have ever been.</p><p>    Everyone waited silently for the sun to rise. The moment it did, everyone erupted in cheers, and began to sing.</p><p>
  <em>Long live the sun, for it brings us light,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Long live the sun, for it gives us warmth,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Long live the sun, for it gives us hope,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Long live the sun, for it gives us gifts,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And brings the winds of change</em>
</p><p>After the song, the festival began. The entire day was a celebration to behold. Joyous music played all day long. At one point, Aurora found herself to be nervously dancing with Balthazar, the tree warrior.</p><p>    When it was midday, everyone stopped dancing. Aurora wondered why. Maleficent explained that they didn’t dance until the sun had set after noon. As everyone chatted amongst one another, and ate at the buffet, Dawn began to pile up wood for a bonfire. Everyone grew excited as she did so.</p><p>    Dawn’s bonfires for The Celebration of all Souls were legendary. She made the celebration even better by creating her own magical fires.</p><p>    The Fest of the Sun continued. Many got some sleep for the following celebration later that night, making the party go a little quieter at around 3:00.</p><p>    But everyone was awake when the sun began to set. Everyone waited in anticipation as the sun got lower and lower. Suddenly, a huge cheer erupted as the sun disappeared. Confetti made of tiny flowers shot through the air as everyone cheered. Aurora looked around in wonder.</p><p>    Maleficent smiled to herself. She was glad that Aurora and Dawn convinced her to bring back these celebrations. She watched everyone celebrate, waiting for the bonfire to start. When her eyes fell on Dawn, her heart almost dropped.</p><p>    She wore a dark blue silk dress that reached down to her knees, with a long light blue silk lace that tied around her waist. Her hair, although still frizzy, was much more sleek, and she had a crown of tiny light blue flowers on her head.</p><p>    She held up her hands. “Let there be fire!”</p><p>    She smacked her hands together, and a red spark lit up the firewood.</p><p>    And right on cue, three fireworks-like streams shot into the air. The screech of the flames brought the stares of the onlookers upwards as they stared in open mouthed awe; the fire exploded in a dazzling display of colors of green, blue and gold. The crowd cheered, but the display was not over yet.</p><p>    Dozens of streams were shot into the sky, setting off into an arc as they exploded in the colors of the rainbow. Many more shot straight up in succession, and everyone craned their necks up to see the fire explode at a specific point in the sky exploding together as one in order to create a huge explosion of color and sound as the night sky was suddenly lit up as if it had turned to day. With that final explosion, millions of pieces of flowers began to rain down from the heavens onto the spectators below.</p><p>    There was a moment of silence, before the crowd erupted in roars of ecstatic applause and cheers, the loudest ones yet.</p><p>    Aurora was in total awe. “They were like fireworks! But better!”</p><p>    Maleficent chuckled at Aurora’s statement as she went over to Dawn.</p><p>    “That was...” She was at loss for words. “Was...”</p><p>    Dawn nodded. “It was pretty good, huh?”</p><p>    “Pretty good?!” Aurora gawked, and Dawn turned to look at her, rather startled, as she saw her staring at her and then at Maleficent with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide. But then, she looked back at Dawn, and her open mouthed look turned into a beam of elation. “That was fantastic! Godmother Bow! That was absolutely amazing!” She even spread her arms out on either side of her in her hyperactive state.</p><p>    Dawn chuckled. “I’m guessing that you liked it then?”</p><p>    “Liked it? <em>Liked it?!” </em>She gaped at her. “Godmother Bow, I loved it!” And then she wrapped her arms around her neck and almost tackled her in order to give her a fierce hug. Dawn returned the hug, grateful that she liked it so much.</p><p>    As the night went on, the huge bonfire turned from one neon color to another on its own. As fairies danced around it, they sang a song.</p><p>
  <em>La lai lai lai lai lee lai lai</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lai lai lai lai lai lai</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lai le lai lai lee lai lai</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lai lai lai lai lai</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The moon said to the sun one day, ‘We have been blessed, you and I.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘We may be separated, but at least we know we’re there.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘You may be far, you may be out of reach,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘But I still know I love you, no matter who I have to breach,’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The sun then said</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘As I reach for you, I will know no bounds!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘My hands may shake, but I still reach,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘My heart may ache, but I still love you,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Until we meet in the sky again!</em>
</p><p>    Maleficent, Diaval and Aurora watched the dancers movements harmonized with the pleasant flow of music. Others stood in groups, drinking or busying themselves with conversations.</p><p>    Maleficent felt herself sigh when she saw Dawn dancing. Diaval noticed.</p><p>    “Is here something wrong, mistress?” He asked.</p><p>    She didn’t look away from Dawn. “She’s has been acting... well... different around me,” She looked at Aurora and Diaval with concerned looks. “Have I been doing something wrong?”</p><p>    Diaval looked at her, dumbfounded. “Y... you’re kidding... right?”</p><p>    The Fae grew even more confused. “What?”</p><p>    Diaval sighed. “Mistress, you can be very clueless sometimes,”</p><p>    Maleficent was about to take offense, but Aurora spoke before she could.</p><p>    “She’s in love with you, silly,” She smiled.</p><p>    Maleficent felt shock douse her like ice water. Dawn... Dawn wasn’t in love with her! Right?</p><p>    Her eyes softened drastically when they laid on the dashing Fae swaying amongst the dancers once more. Dawn was dancing with a red silk scarf. As she swayed, she curled the silk around her hands. She waved her hands around in a butterfly formation, before she untied her hands and swirled the scarf around while she twirled.</p><p>    She grew more confident with her steps the more time she spent around the fire. More...lively. That feeling that Maleficent felt before long ago with Stefan... she was feeling it now... but it was stronger now.</p><p>    She couldn't ignore the growing affection inside her. Perhaps Diaval and Aurora were right. Perhaps, what she felt was really more than just friendship.</p><p>    “Mistress…” Snaps an exasperated Diaval. “Just go ask her for a dance. Look, she’s taking a break right now!” </p><p>    “S-She must be tired then,”</p><p>    Diaval almost laughed. He had never seen Maleficent so nervous before. “Mistress-!”</p><p>    The Fae grew more flustered beneath the pressure and blurts, “What if she says no?”</p><p>    “She won’t. I promise you,” Diaval reassures her. He put his drink to his lips before adding a bit quieter. “She’s too polite to say no anyways,”</p><p>    “What’s that suppose to mean?”</p><p>    “Just go,” Diaval lightly nudges her forward. “Go!”</p><p>    Maleficent sighed deeply before she handed Diaval her staff. Just for safe keeping.</p><p>    Dawn sat idly on a log, chewing on a sweet raspberry. The juices made her lips that much redder. She saw someone coming towards her out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see Maleficent.</p><p>    “Would you like to dance?” Maleficent nearly stuttered, holding out a hand.</p><p>    Dawn jumped on the opportunity. “Yes!” Way too eager. She toned it down a bit. “Y-Yes, I...I’d like that,”</p><p>    Dawn took her hand as she led her to the bonfire. Her hand was a stark contrast against Maleficent’s pale complexion.</p><p>
  <em>La lai lai lai lai lee lai lai</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lai lai lai lai lai lai</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lai le lai lai lee lai lai</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lai lai lai lai lai</em>
</p><p>Dawn and Maleficent danced around the ever-changing colored bonfire, without a care in the world. Dawn took out her red silk strand and began to dance with it. Her fluid body motions had Maleficent hypnotized. She handed Maleficent the silk.</p><p>    “Now you try,” She said.</p><p>    Maleficent laughed. “No, no, no,”</p><p>    “Come on!”</p><p>    “No,”</p><p>    “Please?”</p><p>    “Fine,”</p><p>    Dawn handed Maleficent the silk scarf, and guided her hands to dance like she had showed her. The ancient dance of Dawn’s tropical people was something to be shared, and she was glad to share it with Maleficent.</p><p>
  <em>The moon said to the sun one day, ‘We have been blessed, you and I.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘We may be separated, but at least we know we’re there.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘You may be far, you may be out of reach,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘But I still know I love you, no matter who I have to breach,’</em>
</p><p>Maleficent and Dawn soon danced together fluidly. Although Maleficent had a few missteps, Dawn helped her through it. They both came out of their positions, and each held on to one end of the silk scarf. Each end wrapped around each both their right hands. They circled around each other, smiling until their cheeks hurt.</p><p>    They forgot all of their surroundings, even the pace of music as though they are living in their own private world. Feelings of happiness encircled them, making the two Fae want to tell each other words that they still couldn't say.</p><p>
  <em>The sun then said</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘As I reach for you, I will know no bounds!</em>
</p><p>    Dawn was so close to her; she could feel her warm breath on her lips. She couldn't tear her eyes away from hers. She knew that if she waited long enough, she'd gently push her away, say that she had a lot of fun, and the two of them would go on, pretending that this connection had never happened.</p><p>
  <em>‘My hands may shake, but I still reach,</em>
</p><p>    She knew that if she waited long enough, she’d talk herself out of it and try to block out the memories. She knew that if she waited long enough, all the fun the two of them had would be locked up somewhere so she could go on without the complications.</p><p>
  <em>‘My heart may ache, but I still love you,</em>
</p><p>    But she didn't want that. This did happen. And she never wanted to let it go.</p><p>
  <em>‘Until we meet in the sky again!’</em>
</p><p>    Dawn leaned forward, and she kissed her.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Pain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Dawn lingered on Maleficent, savoring the connection of her warm, soft lips to hers. The kiss wasn't long, but it was deep with the meaning of a million unspoken words. When she gently pulled away, her eyes searched her golden ones as a slightly dazed expression washed over her face. A rosy blush painted itself across her cheeks as she quickly recoiled.</p><p>    “Oh God,” She covered her mouth in shock. She began to feel sick. Did she just ruin her relationship with Maleficent? “I’m so, so sorry, Mal. I didn’t know what I was doing, and-”</p><p>    Maleficent somewhat violently grabbed Dawn by the shoulders, and pushed her quickly backwards. Dawn barely caught up on her footing as Maleficent pushed her. Maleficent pushed her towards a willow tree, with thick leaves. One couldn’t even see the inside of the tree unless they parted the thick vines and leaves with their whole arm, for it was about two feet thick. As Dawn was pushed inside, a few strands of leaves lingered on her shoulders. With a grunt, Dawn was slammed into the trunk of the tree. Maleficent’s eyes were burning with an emotion Dawn had never seen before, but to her, it looked more on the angry side.</p><p>    Dawn felt like she was going to cry. “Mal... I’m so sorr-”</p><p>    The Fae was interrupted by lips slamming into her own. Her eyes widened with shock as Maleficent kissed her. They both pulled apart, staring into each other’s eyes.</p><p>    Maleficent caressed Dawn’s jawline with both of her hands, before she slammed into her again. For a moment, Dawn’s eyes remained open with shock, before she let them close.</p><p>    Dawn was so shocked by the insane passion behind the kiss, that she was almost unable to return it. Maleficent deepened the kiss immediately, pushing Dawn’s body fully against the tree, molding against her. Soon, it wasn't enough. One of her arms wrapped around the back of Dawn’s neck and pushed her even deeper into her. Dawn tilted her head back into her arm.</p><p>    Maleficent’s kisses came in short, rapid successions; pressing deeply and passionately for a moment before breaking away to find a new angle. Dawn’s arms wrapped themselves tightly behind her neck. Her face tilted every few seconds to experiment with a new position, until they finally broke away, gasping for air.</p><p>    They stared into each other’s eyes, their breaths heavy as they tried to bring oxygen back to their bodies.</p><p>    Dawn panted a few times before she found her voice. “M-Mal...” She couldn’t believe what had just happened.</p><p>    Maleficent flushed to the tips of her ears. Many emotions stirred in those gorgeous golden eyes, but most of all, confusion. So much confusion and insecurities swirled in her eyes.</p><p>    “I-Um… I’m... I’m sorry...” And with that she takes off running through the woods, leaving a very flustered Dawn behind her.</p><p>    Dawn just gaped, her mouth wide open. She stood there for a moment, breathing heavily into the air. She took a single step forward and almost collapsed on the spot, knees wobbling, an unsteady rhythm beating throughout her body.</p><p>    She slowly sat herself down, her wings laying lazily behind her on the ground. She grabbed her own shoulders, wondering to herself: <em>What just happened?</em></p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Two days. It has been two days since The Festival of Lights, and two days since Maleficent has seen Dawn. The felt immensely guilty for leaving her the way she did. She wanted to apologize, but she just couldn’t find her anywhere.</p><p>    Maleficent now sat at the base of a cliff, watching Aurora pet a flying creature. She smiled, before looking down again, getting lost in her guilt once again. She barely even noticed Aurora coming to sit next to her.</p><p>    “Are you alright, Godmother Mal?” She asked her.</p><p>    Maleficent nodded slowly. “I just... feel so guilty,”</p><p>    Aurora nodded, understanding. “It’ll all turn out alright, you’ll see,”</p><p>    After a moment of silence, Maleficent spoke again. “Aurora? There’s something I need to tell you,”</p><p>    “What is it?”</p><p>    “There is an evil in this world, and I cannot keep you from it,”</p><p>    “I’m almost sixteen, Godmother,” The human seemed to dismiss the warning, “I can take care of myself,”</p><p>    “I understand. But that’s not what I have to tell you...”</p><p>    “I have a plan,” An excited Aurora didn’t let the Fae finish. “When I’m older, I’m going to live here in the Moors with you. Then we can look after each other,”</p><p>    Maleficent’s face turned hopeful. “You don’t have to wait until you’re older. You could live here now,”</p><p>    “Then I will,” The human smiled with great joy. “I’ll sleep in a tree and eat berries and black nuts and all the Fair People will be my friends. I’ll be happy here for the rest of my life. I’m going to tell my aunties tomorrow,”</p><p>    Maleficent nodded. “Until tomorrow,”</p><p>    Aurora nearly jumped up and down in excitement. “Oh! I’m so excited!”</p><p>    As Aurora left, Maleficent felt a tiny bit of weight lift off of her conscience. At least one of her relationships was going relatively well.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    It’s been two hours since Maleficent let Aurora stay in the Moors. She had just watched someone named Philip talk with Aurora. The pair seemed to take an interest in one another, and they planned to see each other tomorrow.</p><p>    As she watched the encounter, Maleficent suddenly heard a <em>whump </em>from behind her. She quickly turned around, briefly startled by the sudden noise. A look of joy and relief spread onto her face when she saw who was behind her.</p><p>    “Dawn!”</p><p>    She held her in a long embrace. She didn’t ever want to let Dawn go again, not after what had happened. As they embraced, Maleficent took in her scent of fresh water and jasmine. The two parted.</p><p>    “Where were you?” Maleficent asked softly.</p><p>    Dawn looked to the ground, guilt in her eyes. “In the willow tree... I stayed there this entire time,”</p><p>    Maleficent felt frustrated with herself. She was so close this entire time, and she didn’t even check where she saw her last!</p><p>    Dawn continued. “Mal, I’m so, so sorry for not seeing you sooner. I just... I was scared. I didn’t know what to say to you after what happened...” Her words trailer off as she looked past Maleficent, and to Aurora, who was finishing up her encounter with Philip.</p><p>    “See you tomorrow, then?” The human girl asked her as the young man mounted his horse.</p><p>    Philip settled down on his saddle, and he smiled. “Just try and stop me,”</p><p>    Aurora blushed at this remark as the young man rode away. As Philip left, Diaval flapped his wings in Maleficent’s face and cawed loudly.</p><p>    She rolled her eyes. “Stop it,”</p><p>    She turned the bird into a man. He gestured to Philip. “Well?” He laughed excitedly. “That boy’s the answer!”</p><p>    Maleficent sighed sadly. “No, Diaval,”</p><p>    Dawn’s face brightened up as she realized what Diaval was getting on to. “Yes, Diaval! True love’s kiss, remember? It can break the spell!”</p><p>    “True love’s kiss? Have you two not worked it out yet?” As she said this, Dawn’s face fell. “I cursed her that way because there is no such thing,”</p><p>    Dawn felt like she was just stabbed directly in the heart with an icicle. She felt a crack form in her chest. No such thing as true love? Is that truly how she felt about love? How she felt about her? Without realizing, she had shed tears out of her remaining eye.</p><p>    Maleficent looked at Dawn. She felt herself pinned in place for a moment by her stare. Her scarlet eyes met her golden ones, and in that moment, Maleficent saw all of Dawn’s composure slip away, and she was left with hurt, heartache, loneliness and disappointment. The other emotions hurt Maleficent, but it was the disappointment in her eyes, as if she had let her down, that was what got to her. There was something about Dawn’s eyes, as if she had been giving her a silent test and she had now failed... it made her insides flutter with... distress.</p><p>    “O-okay...” Dawn struggled to get her words together before she cried. She spread her wings. “Clearly I’ve made a mistake,”</p><p>    Before Maleficent could speak, Dawn took off, sending a huge gust of wind their way. Diaval looked at Maleficent, shocked.</p><p>    “How could you say that?!” He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “After what you two did?”</p><p>    Maleficent’s heart stopped as she looked at Diaval. “You... you saw what happened in the willow tree?”</p><p>    Diaval nodded. “It didn’t take a genius to figure it out,” He snapped at her. “She loves you, Mistress. You better be honest with her about how you feel,”</p><p>    The Fae sighed as she lifted her hand up to switch Diaval back. He grabbed her wrist.</p><p>    “Go ahead,” He said bitterly. “Turn me into whatever you want. A bird, a worm. I don’t care anymore,”</p><p>    He walked away, leaving Maleficent outside, pondering as to why she felt so at odds with herself.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn flew through the air, her hair blowing like a kite behind her. A tear escaped her eye, which dried against the cool wind. She wiped the remaining tear off of her cheek with her palm.</p><p>    She just couldn’t believe what she had just heard. After finally believing that she had won over Maleficent’s heart just as she had done with hers all those years ago... now that hope died with Maleficent’s words. She had waited too long, and now she loved someone who would no longer give love a chance. The crack that had formed inside of her chest completely tore her open, and her heart broke.</p><p>    She wanted to crash onto the ground and weep until there were no more tears left... but there was something else she had to do. She moved past her pain and tears as she put on a determined face. She flew above and past the boarder of the Moors, leaving her exposed to the human world. Even if Dawn couldn’t have true love for herself, she would be damned if she didn’t try to save Aurora, and help her find her own love. That boy, Philip, was her last chance... and he was well within her sight.</p><p>    The boy was far enough away from her, that Dawn had to watch the space where she <em>thought</em> he might be. But as she flew faster, his white horse came into view. She pumped her wings faster than ever before. Sweat formed on her brow as she pushed her wings beyond their limit. Her wings felt as if they were on fire. She had driven them to the point that they were being stabbed by a thousand knives of pain over and over again. Breathing heavily, she pushed past it, almost roaring as she did.</p><p>    Then came the time when the boy Philip was close enough for Dawn to see clearly. She smiled in relief and triumph as she extended her arm. She focused every bit of strength she had left into her magic, and focused that magic into her hand. Her brow creased as the combined concentration of flying faster and faster, and magic wielding, drained her strength greatly. She focused on making a cloud of magic around Philip, trying to lift him up and take him back to Aurora.</p><p>    She suddenly heard yelling below her. Looking up ever so slightly, was her first mistake. In front of her, about a mile away, was King Stefan’s castle.</p><p>    Her second mistake, was slowing down her wing beats. A yell was heard, and then the twang of a bowstring. A sharp pain tore through Dawn’s left side as she screamed in agony. She recoiled midair, clutching her side. Pure pain flashed through her face as she struggled to force her wings to give one final flap. Her heavy eyes were shrouded in tears, squinting shut as she could no longer stay in the air.</p><p>    Alas, gravity took her whole as her wings stopped working. As she fell with her back facing towards the earth, she reached for the shrinking sky, as if there was something up there that she could grab onto to stop her fall. She plummeted downwards, and crashed into the ground in an explosion of dirt, grass and rocks. She skidded to a halt as she groaned in pain.</p><p>    She lay on the ground, letting the sun burn into her skin. She was barely even aware of the two shadows that hovered over her.</p><p>    “Should we kill her?” One asked.</p><p>    “No,” The other answered. “We don’t know if the King wants it dead. We’ll take her in alive, and let the King decide what to do,”</p><p>    Dawn, unable to will herself to stay awake, allowed her head to fall to the ground, and her heavy eyelids to crash down.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Fear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    “Godmother Mal!”</p><p>    Maleficent felt a wave of guilt when she heard Aurora’s voice. The curse would be happening soon, and she had hoped that she would stay inside her cottage, where it was safe.</p><p>    “I’m here,” The Fae turned towards the human.</p><p>    “When were you going to tell me that I’m cursed? Is it true?”</p><p>    Maleficent could feel her heart breaking the longer they spoke. “It is,”</p><p>    Aurora let tears escape her eyes. “My... my aunties told me that they were evil fairies. One of them injured my mother. I... I can’t remember their names... they were...”</p><p>    “Maleficent and Dawn,”</p><p>    Maleficent could never forget the heartbreak written all over her face when she figured out it was her who cursed her.</p><p>    “Is that you?” She asked in disbelief. “Mal... is short for Maleficent?” The human’s face fell. “That would mean... Godmother Bow is...”</p><p>    Maleficent took in a shaky breath. “Dawn...”</p><p>    Aurora couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The trust that she had built with the two fairies shattered completely at that moment.</p><p>    The girl began to back away. “How... How could you? After all we’ve been through?” A stray tear escaped her eye. “How could you two do this?!”</p><p>    Tears threatened to spill out of Maleficent’s eyes as she took a step towards Aurora. The Fae felt her heart break when Aurora stepped back in fear. In the girl’s blue eyes along with that fear, was complete and utter disappointment. Maleficent knew that look all too well, as it was the same emotion in her eyes that Dawn bore not too long ago.</p><p>    Maleficent extended her hand out to her. “Aurora, please-”</p><p>    The human slapped her hand away. “No! Don’t you touch me! I should have known that all of this was too good to be true! You and Dawn are the true evil of this world!”</p><p>    Aurora ran away, now terrified of her Godmother. As the human ran back to her horse, she finally let the full force of her tears go loose. She couldn't believe it, what she had done… No! She knew that she was extreme at times but she'd never thought her capable of… She trailed off, a crack inside her chest forming as a swell of emotion threatened to engulf her, her whole frame shivering at the force of the betrayal that made her heart cry out.</p><p>    Her mind was now made up. She had to return home to her family. Her true family. She snapped her horse’s reigns and steered him towards Stefan’s castle. Her home.</p><p>    Maleficent stood where she was, as if she were a ghost, a shell of a body with no soul, her shock taken over her so utterly that she couldn't comprehend what was happening around her anymore. The world was a blur of grey, the voices around her muffled and far away, she could only think of one thing: Aurora.</p><p>    She wished she could go back in time, and prevent herself from ever putting that damned cursed on the Princess. Things would be better if she had just... her thoughts trailed off as she shook her head. No. Wishing things didn’t happen wasn’t going to make anything any better.</p><p>    She pushed past her regret and guilt. This wasn’t about what happened to her, or what she had done in the past. This was now about saving Aurora, even if she could never see her again.</p><p>    “Find the boy!”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Aurora rode to Stefan’s castle as fast as her horse could move. Her once vibrant blue eyes that now lay dead and emotionless, glistening with tears of grief and hurt and confusion. She wiped them away, determined not to let her hurt get in the way of her new life in the castle.</p><p>    When she arrived at the front gates, a guard stopped her, telling her that the King would not see anyone at the moment. After she had explained that she was Princess Aurora, the guard, not quite believing her, took her inside the palace walls. Even though the guard didn’t believe her, she was still confident that somehow her father would recognize her.</p><p>    The guard escorted her to a room, where Stefan was. He was holding a meeting with a group of men, who were all looking down at a table, which seemed to have plans written out on them.</p><p>    “I need every available man on the east wing now,” The King spoke to his men, “There should be no guards at the gate. I want them to walk right in...”</p><p>    “Sorry to disturb, Your Majesty,” The King looked back at the guard, clearly annoyed that he was disturbing their meeting. Despite this, the guard continued to speak. “We found this urchin at the gate. She claims to be the Princess,”</p><p>    Stefan looked at the girl, a surprised look on his face. She stepped towards him, an excited look beginning to spread onto her face.</p><p>    “Father! It’s me! Aurora!” She stepped forward, and gave him a hug around his middle.</p><p>    Stefan, dumbfounded by the sudden news, separated from the hug, and inspected the girl closely. But before he could say anything to the blonde girl, his head snapped upwards, hearing something in the halls.</p><p>    “Your Majesty!” He heard one of his guards call out to him, though he was not in his line of sight. The guard practically ran into the room, bowing as he did so. “Your Majesty... we found two farmers at the gate. They have something that you might want to see...”</p><p>    Stefan heard something being dragged accords the tile floor. Two men dragged something across the floor behind them. His eyes widened when he saw what it was.</p><p>    The two farmers threw the mass that they dragged behind them in front of them with a grunt. Aurora gasped when it had hit the floor.</p><p>    “Dawn...” Stefan smiled in satisfaction.</p><p>    The rainbow winged Fae slowly looked up at the King, a look of defiance in her eyes. But hidden away behind the wall of defiance and grit, was fear. True, terrible, and overwhelming fear.</p><p>    The King looked up at the two farmers, and then back at his guard. “See to it that these two men are rewarded greatly for bringing down this creature,”</p><p>    The guard nodded, and escorted the pair of men out of the room. Stefan crouched down, and grabbed Dawn’s chin, lifting her head up so she was eye-level with him.</p><p>    “After sixteen years...” He smiled in satisfaction. “I finally have you...” He let go of her chin as he stood up. The Fae looked up at him again, only to receive a hard slap to the face. Dawn let out a yelp as her cheek stung. Aurora jumped back and gasped. The very sound of the impact made her flinch.</p><p>    “You evil, lying, terrible creature!” Stefan insulted her. “You think that I would forget about what you’ve done?! You think that I would forget about the death of Leila?!”</p><p>    Dawn looked up at him in shock. “The Queen is dead? That’s impossible, she should have healed long ago!”</p><p>    “She is dead!” Stefan pointed at her. “And it’s all your fault!”</p><p>    Dawn’s anger bubbled up inside of her. “I was aiming for you, you idiot!” She groaned in pain as the wound in her side began to throb. She pushed past it, and continued. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t stolen Maleficent’s wings!”</p><p>    Stefan immediately slapped her hard in the face again, making her fall hard to the side. Aurora felt shock douse her like ice water. Her father was the reason Godmother... no, Maleficent didn’t have any wings like the other fair people?</p><p>    Stefan crouched down again. He held something out in front of him, and Dawn felt hate boil up inside her when she saw it. The King held Dawn’s horn, still attached to a golden chain like a worthless piece of jewelry.</p><p>    “No,” He said. “Everything would be fine if you just stayed in the forest...” He forced Dawn to look at him with his hand. “... where animals belong,”</p><p>    He dropped the chain, making the horn fall back down onto his chest. Dawn looked up at him, anger burning in her eyes. She suddenly leapt at him, making him stumble back. Before she could reach him, three guards tackled her to the ground. Her eyes turned soft when she saw Aurora.</p><p>    “Aurora...” She whispered.</p><p>    “Take her to the great hall!” He ordered the guards. “There is a slight rearrangement to the plan,”</p><p>    Dawn struggled against the guards who tried to drag her away. “Aurora!” She cried out. “The curse!” She grunted as she tugged her arm forward. “The curse takes place tonight!”</p><p>    Aurora’s heart dropped to her stomach. “What?” She whispered almost inaudibly.</p><p>    Dawn grunted again. “Before the sun sets, the curse will take place! Stay safe Aurora!” The guards began to drag her away. “Beware of the hoops the curse will jump through to fulfill itself! It will do whatever it takes!” She cried out as she was being taken away. Just as they were about to shut the door, Dawn cried out, “Aurora! DON’T TOUCH <em>ANYTHING!</em>”</p><p>    The guards slammed the great doors shut, cutting off Aurora’s view, Dawn’s last words echoing eerily throughout the room. She stood there in complete shock. Before, she felt extreme betrayal by Dawn’s actions committed so long ago, but now she felt like she could trust her again. Those two emotions clashed with each other as Stefan walked up to her.</p><p>    “I must apologize,” He said as he turned her around. He grabbed her by the shoulders and smiled. “So beautiful. You look just like your mother,” His face grew angry once again. “They brought you here a day too soon. I told those three idiots!” He turned and pointed at a guard. “Lock her up in her room, and don’t let her out until the sun has set,”</p><p>    Aurora stood there, absolutely speechless as she stared at her father. So much happened in the past few minutes, that she couldn’t even process it as the guards escorted her to her room. As she left, she could hear her father say one final thing before he was out of hearing range.</p><p>    “Prepare the men. Maleficent’s coming,”</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The Spindle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Prince Philip rode into the woods once again on his white horse, Samson. Technically he was supposed to be at King Stefan’s castle by now, but he had until tomorrow to be there. There was plenty of time to see the girl Aurora once again.</p><p>    When he met her the day before, there was something about her he just couldn’t put a finger on. There was a certain magic to her, making her beautiful features that much more exquisite to him.</p><p>    He pulled on Samson’s reigns, recognizing the scenery around him. The horse slowed to a stop. The Prince looked around for Aurora, not seeing her quite yet. He shrugged to himself. She was probably on her way here.</p><p>    Hearing someone approaching, he lifted his head, thinking that it was Aurora. But instead, he was greeted with a woman dressed in black, with horns on her head and a staff in her hand. The boy relaxed when the woman didn’t show any signs of hostility.</p><p>    “I’m looking for a girl,” He said.</p><p>    Maleficent rolled her eyes. “Of course you are,”</p><p>    Philip didn’t have time to respond, when gold mist surrounded his head. His eyelids slowly closed shut as he leaned forward in his saddle.</p><p>    Maleficent then looked at Diaval. “I need a horse,”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Maleficent rode on the back of a pitch black horse. Its head was smaller than that of a regular horse, its eyes were pitch black, and its lips formed into a beak. Behind them, Samson the horse followed closely behind, with a sleeping Prince Philip on his back.</p><p>    Maleficent was determined to get to that castle before sunset. She wished that Aurora would have stayed with her and Dawn in the Moors.</p><p>    Dawn... Maleficent felt guilt when she remembered her. She wished she was here with her now. She soon pushed any thought of Dawn, or anything that would bring her guilt. None of that mattered now. All that mattered, was making it inside.</p><p>    “Come on, Diaval!” She shouted. “Faster!”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Aurora paced in circles in her room. She had tried to open the door many times, but alas, every time she did so, it was locked.</p><p>    The Princess began to grow restless, and she couldn’t figure out why. She had taken Dawn’s warning to heart. ‘Don’t touch anything!’ She remembered the fairy’s words. She had tried to sit still, to restrain herself from touching anything, but her body said otherwise.</p><p>    A sudden discomfort became apparent in her index fingertip. Her face twisted in slight discomfort as she examined her fingertip. It was beginning to grow redder and redder by the second. As she does this, she hears a voice.</p><p>    <em>“Aurora...” </em>It says.</p><p>    The Princess follows the mysterious voice. She tracks it down to the wall. She grabbed the golden tapestry, and swished it aside. Behind it, there was a wooden door. She knocks on it frantically. After a moment, it is opened by a confused handmaiden.</p><p>    Before the woman could speak, Aurora pushed past her, and hurried down the maid’s hallways.</p><p>    “Wait!” The maiden cried out. “Princess!”</p><p>    Aurora went down the hallways, which were all lined with drying clothes on clotheslines. She didn’t know where she was going, but she was going to find out soon enough.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    In the great hall, Stefan and his guards forced Dawn to her knees. Earlier, they had tied her wings tightly to her back with a thick rope. She struggled against the guards as they chained her legs to the floor. Her legs burned as the heavy iron chains touched her skin, making her cry out. She stared up at Stefan with hate burning in her eyes.</p><p>    “So much anger – so much hate... You really are a work of evil, aren't you?” Stefan laughed condescendingly, reveling in Dawn’s torment.</p><p>    Two guards took Dawn’s wrists, and strapped wooden cuffs onto them. There were eight iron pins around each cuff, all of the pointed ends pointed to her skin. Her eyes widened in fear as the guards began to twist the pins. They dug so far into the Fae’s wrists that her hands became frozen in a claw-like position. Dawn attempted to hold back her pain, but could not escape the indignant howl and wounded whimpers that escaped her. The combined pain of the burning iron and how it dug into her was a whole new world of pain. Stefan reveled in the sound. Music to his ears.</p><p>    “Do you like them?” The King mocked her. “I had one of our trading partners design them. We set them to their tightest setting – so your arms shall be immobilized… unable to perform any witchcraft, unfortunately,”</p><p>    Dawn’s mouth gaped at Stefan’s gloating sneer. She growled at him. “I’ll have your skin for this,” She hissed through clenched teeth.</p><p>    Stefan scoffed. “I’m sure you will,” He tapped Dawn’s cuffs with his finger, which sent a sharp jolt of pain through her arms.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Maleficent and Diaval got closer and closer by the second. She looked at the sun setting, reminding her that she is running out of time quickly.</p><p>    “Come on, Diaval!” She urged him on. “Faster!”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Aurora examined her throbbing fingertip once again. White veins began to run through it, making the redness look like a golden hue.</p><p>    Suddenly, something took over her. Her eyes turned a subtle green. She was a ghost, with no control over her actions.</p><p>    <em>“Aurora...”</em></p><p>She walked towards what beckoned her. It seemed as it every few seconds, she was in a new place, and she had no memory of how and why she was there.</p><p>    <em>“Aurora...”</em></p><p>The Princess pushed open a creaking door, which lead to a dark room. The only light that illuminated the place, was the shrinking light of the sunset leaking in through the barred window. The bricked room was littered with remains of burnt wood. Her attention was pulled from the piles, to something glowing green. Green magic swirled around bits and pieces of wood, forming the dreaded spinning wheel.</p><p>    Aurora didn’t know why, but she wanted to touch the sharp spindle. It was as if she touched her throbbing fingertip to the sharp metal, the discomfort in it would stop. Her hand hovered over the gleaming needle. It was then, a voice of the past cut through her thoughts.</p><p>    <em>“Don’t touch anything!”</em></p><p>She recoiled her hand away, hesitant of what to do.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Maleficent was running out of time. The shadow of the lofty palace loomed over her as she approached.</p><p>    “Faster!” She was nearly begging the horse. “Go faster, Diaval!”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    <em>“She will prick her finger...”</em></p><p>Aurora’s eyes turned green again, and her hand grew closer to the spindle.</p><p>    <em>“...on the spindle of a spinning wheel...”</em></p><p>Her skin brushed the sharp end.</p><p>    <em>“...and fall into a sleep like death....”</em></p><p>She pressed down.</p><p>    <em>“A sleep like death....”</em></p><p>A small bulb of blood appeared from Aurora’s fingertip as the spindle pricked itself through her skin.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Maleficent felt faint as she slowed Diaval to a halt. The last remains of the sun burned itself into her eyes as it made itself disappear behind the horizon. A huge weight crashed down in her shoulders, making one thing absolutely clear.</p><p>    She had failed.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn gasped and hung her head. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief as she felt a needle go through her very soul.</p><p>    “What is it?!” Stefan demanded to know.</p><p>    The pain of her iron chains, and the cuffs that drove needles deep into her wrists, was nothing compared to the pain of what she had just lost.</p><p>    “I... it... it is finished,” She whispered without looking up from the ground.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Aurora’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her knees gave out from under her. She fell to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. She hit the ground hard, her head hitting the concrete floor with a small bounce.</p><p>    Everything in the world seemed to stand still as Aurora lay in the dungeon by herself. Sixteen years of effort. The burning of spindles, the soldiers lost, and sending the Princess away, had all gone to waste at that exact moment.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn earned a hard slap to the face once again.</p><p>    “This is all your fault!” Stefan cried out. “Now my little girl is lost! And I can never get her back!”</p><p>    Dawn looked up at him with sad eyes. “You are not the only one who lost Aurora today!”</p><p>    Stefan grew angry at Dawn’s words. “You and Maleficent are the reasons this ever even happened in the first place! So don’t you cry now!”</p><p>    Dawn held back her stinging tears. “If you had just let Maleficent keep her wings-”</p><p>    In a burst of anger, Stefan grabbed Dawn’s cuffs and shook them violently, sending many sharp jolts of pain up her arms. She cried out as he did so. “This isn’t about wings anymore, dammit!” He yelled directly in her face. “Maleficent took my daughter away from me, and you stole my wife. I had to send my little girl away, while I held my wife in my arms as she died!” He panted as he caught his breath. He spoke again, but calmer this time. “You and Maleficent are a poison to me and my family. I am merely drawing the poison out,”</p><p>    Stefan snapped at the nearest guard. “Proceed as planned. She’s almost here. I can feel it,”</p><p>    The guard nodded as he commanded the rest of his men to follow him and the King out of the great hall. Dawn was left alone in the dark and empty room. Her limbs were burning as she looked up at the ceiling.</p><p>    So this is how her life ends. As bait for a trap, for the fairy she loved. In that moment, she threw away what little dignity she had, and cried.</p><p>    The images of what lay for Maleficent sprang to her mind. Then an image of many iron swords piercing Maleficent invaded her mind.</p><p>    The more these intrusive thoughts came to her, the more she wept. She sobbed into the night, with nobody and nothing left. She wanted nothing more than to hold Maleficent again, to hold her and never let go.</p><p>    And then, she came to the decision that she was not meant to live. She was supposed to die in that river with her father. She was supposed to die during the Battle of the Moors. She was supposed to die when she was shot by those farmers. She had cheated death many, many times, and now death was finally going to find her, and collect her long overdue debt. She would die here, alone, friendless, no family, and nobody to wonder what happened to her.</p><p>    Into the darkness, she sobbed until she had no energy left. She cried until she succumbed to the pain in her body, and she passed out.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. True Love’s Kiss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    The sun was almost set and the moon had dominated the sky and was illuminating the world with its light. Maleficent was taking careful steps towards Stefan’s castle. To her right, was Diaval, back in his human form, and to her left, was Prince Philip, completely unconscious, and floating in the air like he was underwater.</p><p>    “Mistress...” Diaval said quietly. “They pulled the guards, he’s waiting for you in there. If we go inside those walls, we’ll never come out alive,”</p><p>    “Then don’t come,” Maleficent brushed off Diaval’s warnings. “This is not your fight,”</p><p>    She didn’t mean to sound harsh, but what she said was true. She needed to fix all the mistakes she had made tonight. She began to walk towards the palace with Phillip’s unconscious body floating closely behind her.</p><p>    “Huh,” Diaval said as he began to follow the Fae. “Well thank you very much. ‘I need you, Diaval. I can’t do this without you, Diaval,’”</p><p>    Maleficent rolled her eyes. “I can hear you,”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    “Look at her,” Stefan snapped at the nervous pixies. “Look at what you’ve done,”</p><p>    Aurora lay on a big, lofty golden bed. Her golden hair was splayed out on the soft pillow, and her eyes were forever shut.</p><p>    Knotgrass tried to make light of the situation. “S-she’s only sleeping,”</p><p>    Stefan looked at the pixie in disbelief. “She’s only... sleeping?”</p><p>    The pixies nodded, trying to get the King to see the light side as well.</p><p>    “She’s only sleeping, you say? She’s only sleeping,” His voice rose as he stepped towards the now frightened pixies. “She’s only sleeping <em>forever!</em>”</p><p>    The three small fairies wracked their brains to come up with something. “What about the kiss?” Thistlewit blurted out.</p><p>    “Yes!” Knotgrass imitated a kiss. “True love’s kiss!”</p><p>    Stefan sighed as he ran a hand over his face. “True love... does not exist,”</p><p>    The pixies began to loose hope quickly. “But it’s her only chance, Your Majesty!” Flittle shouted.</p><p>    Stefan slapped Flittle out of the air. “You three were supposed to keep her safe! You were her only chance for years! Now look what’s become of it,”</p><p>    The distraught King left the room, leaving the three horrified and regretful pixies in his wake.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Maleficent, Diaval and Philip have made it deep into the castle without being noticed. But the main reason for that being, whenever someone would spot them, Maleficent would use her magic to render them unconscious.</p><p>    The trio came across a massive iron trap. Huge iron spikes were protruding out of a spiderweb-like iron base. The iron trap swirled around the entire hallway.</p><p>    “Mistress...” Diaval whispered, unsure if they should go in.</p><p>    Maleficent took a deep breath, and stepped in. Almost the entire time, the Fae held her breath. The carefully maneuvered her way through the large spikes, careful not to get the unconscious Prince injured either.</p><p>    She hissed in pain as she accidentally ran into an iron spike, which burned her shoulder. As she continued, she slowly ducked her head as another iron spike glowed a bright orange as her head almost collided with it.</p><p>    After what seemed like an eternity, they made it out, the only injury being a small burn on Maleficent’s shoulder.</p><p>    Before they turned a corner, Maleficent peeked around the corner. Rows of guards lined the hallway.</p><p>    She crouched to the ground, and placed her fingertips on the cool tile floor. As she did so, golden streams of magic snaked its way across the floor. Before Diaval could ask what she was going, a collective <em>thud</em> was heard throughout the small hallway. When they turned the corner, Diaval saw the guards on the floor, all of them sleeping heavily.</p><p>    Maleficent stood by two great big oak doors. She let Philip float up high in front of the doors, before she released her magical hold on him. He snapped open his eyes, and he fell to the floor with a loud <em>thud </em>and a grunt.</p><p>    The two doors opened with a prolonged <em>ccrreeeaaakkk</em> as they opened inwards. Philip looked at who opened it with confusion. In front of him, were the three pixies.</p><p>    “Pardon me,” He said to the trio. “I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know where I am,”</p><p>    “You’re in King Stefan’s castle,” Thistlewit answered as she curled her hair with her finger.</p><p>    Philip smiled and got to his feet, “This is where I’m meant to be! Odd that I can’t recall how I got here,”</p><p>    “Why have you come?” Knotgrass asked.</p><p>    “My father sent me to see the King,”</p><p>    “Who’s your father?”</p><p>    “King John of Ulstead,”</p><p>    The trio gasped. “A Prince!” They all exclaimed in unison.</p><p>    They quickly rushed forward, and grabbed Philip by the clothes, dragging him inside the room, much to his confusion. They brought him to the bed, where Aurora lay. He walked up to the sleeping girl.</p><p>    “Aurora?”</p><p>    “He already knows her,” Thistlewit said wistfully.</p><p>    “Why is she sleeping?”</p><p>    “She’s trapped in an enchantment,” Flittle answered.</p><p>    Knotgrass tried to speed up the process. “Isn’t she beautiful?”</p><p>    Philip looked back at the Princess. “The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,”</p><p>    Knotgrass was getting impatient. “Do you want to kiss her?”</p><p>    It was just then, when Maleficent and Diaval snuck into the room quietly. They hid behind a screen as they watched. Maleficent kept her gaze fixed upon the Princess and Prince, not breaking her gaze once, not even to blink. She dared not allow herself to hope, because if she did and the kiss didn’t work, then she would not be able to live with the crushing disappointment on her shoulders.</p><p>    “I would,” Philip answered Knotgrass. “Very much,”</p><p>    “Well, go on then,” Knotgrass urged.</p><p>    The boy looked at her with a confused expression. “I wouldn’t feel right about it. I barely know her, we’ve only met once,”</p><p>    Knotgrass was determined not to loose hope. “Haven’t you ever heard of love at first sight? Kiss her! Go on,”</p><p>    The trio held their breath as the young man leaned in to kiss Aurora. He suddenly stopped.</p><p>    “An enchantment you said?”</p><p>    The trio sighed with exasperation. “Kiss her!” They all shouted at him in unison.</p><p>    Phillip leans in slowly and placed a soft kiss on Aurora’s lips. Maleficent, Diaval and the three fairies all watched in anticipation. The boy pulled away, watching her face for any sign of movement. But alas, the kiss wasn’t enough to wake Aurora.</p><p>    “You didn’t do it properly!” Knotgrass cried.</p><p>    The pixies all grabbed Philip once again, and began to drag him out of the room. They threw him out of the room and into the hallway, and shut the doors behind them.</p><p>    Maleficent felt what little hope she had, get crushed into dust. Diaval looked at her, a look of disbelief and hurt burned in his expressive eyes, clearly baffled as to why the kiss didn’t work.</p><p>    “I told you...” Maleficent whispered quickly, as to not lose her composure.</p><p>    She slowly walked up to the bed Aurora lay in. “I will not ask your forgiveness because what I have done to you is unforgivable. I was so lost in hatred and revenge. Sweet Aurora, you stole what was left of my heart. And now I have lost you forever,”</p><p>    Tears begin to roll down her face as she began to cry.</p><p>    “I swear, no harm will come to you as long as I live. And not a day shall pass that I don’t miss your smile,”</p><p>    She stared down at the little beastie lying so still in front of her, the world around her a blur. She had known this was going to happen, had anticipated it... but it still hurt.</p><p>    She moved closer to the Princess, stared down at the soft rise and fall of her chest. And then she bent over, letting her lips softly touch the girl’s forehead.</p><p>    She pulled back and then turned to go.</p><p>    “Hello, Godmother,”</p><p>    The Fae stopped in her tracks. She whipped her head around. The girl she loved so much stared back at her, eyes wide and awake. So awake.</p><p>    “Hello Beastie...”</p><p>    Aurora’s arms came up, and wrapped around her Godmother.</p><p>    “I’m sorry Godmother...” She said as he face was buried in Maleficent’s shoulder.</p><p>    Maleficent hugged her back. “No, I’m sorry. But it doesn’t matter. We’re back together now...”</p><p>    The two separated, both of them had the biggest smiles on their faces. But that happiness was cut short when Aurora spoke.</p><p>    “Dawn!” She suddenly shouted.</p><p>    “What about her?” Maleficent asked innocently. “She isn’t even here!”</p><p>    “Yes she is!” Aurora practically jumped from her bed, tossing the sheets aside. “The King had her taken away to the great hall! I don’t know what he has planned, but I think that she’s in danger!”</p><p>    Maleficent’s stomach bottomed out. She hadn’t even known that Dawn was here. She thought that she was still on the Moors. A great feeling of dread crept into her stomach. Without hesitation she stood up.</p><p>    “Show me,” Maleficent said.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. The Burn of Iron</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    When Dawn awoke, she was sure she was dead. The pain in her body was gone. She kept her eyes shut, not knowing what she would see if she opened them. She was sure that she had died and moved on. Why else would her pain be gone?</p><p>    She lifted her head and opened her eyes. She was lying down in the middle of the great hall. Dread and disappointment filled Dawn. She hadn’t moved from where she was.</p><p>    She looked down, wondering why her pain was gone. Her stomach bottomed out. Her wrists were bloody and mangled, the pins still digging deep inside of her flesh, and her calves were burned almost to the bone. She came to the conclusion, that the pain was so much, that her body just cancelled it all out.</p><p>    She must have moved, because the second she did, something stirred in front of her. Then, out of the darkness came a door slamming open, and hitting the walls around them with a loud <em>slam!</em></p><p>“Dawn!”</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes widened when she saw the hazy figures of Maleficent and Aurora burst into the room. She felt immense relief when she saw Aurora, seeing that the curse was broken. But fear stabbed at her stomach as Maleficent grew near.</p><p>    “Mal, no!”</p><p>    But it was too late. The sound of metal against metal was heard from the ceiling. Maleficent looked upwards with a confused and worried look on her face. Before she could process what was happening, a massive heavy net made of iron chains fell on her. She grasped at the net, screaming in pain as the metal glowed a hot orange color.</p><p>    “No!” Dawn had hoped for this not to happen, but it has. She was used as bait to lure Maleficent in, and now the King had both of them.</p><p>    In a desperate attempt, Dawn tried to use her magic. The red mist travelled down her arms as she shook. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get her magic to her hands. No matter how hard she tried to move, the needles of the cuffs dug deeper, and constricted her further like a snake. She tried to push her magic past the needles, but with her hands bound as they were, she could not create anything past her wrists.</p><p>    Dawn watched in horror as Aurora tried to lift the net off of a screaming Maleficent. As she did do, iron-clad guards came pouring into the room with iron swords and spears in their hands.</p><p>    Dawn gritted her teeth as she tried to move forward, but the iron chains kept her securely to the floor. She watched helplessly as the soldiers attacked Maleficent.</p><p>    Aurora tried desperately to get the soldiers off of the Fae, but they just held her back, thinking they were protecting their Princess.</p><p>    Maleficent was struggling against her captors, but to no avail. She was pinned down with nowhere to go and no way to escape. She began to grow dizzy as the world around her swirled and became blurred. She strained herself to focus on a crow flying through the air. She lifted her hand up through the gap of the iron net.</p><p>    “Into a dragon,”</p><p>    Diaval’s caws turned into vicious growls as he seemed to disappear into the blackness of the room. A huge weight slammed into the tile floor, shaking the room. Instead of a small crow, there stood a mighty black dragon. He had a vicious scowl etched onto his face as he stared at the frightened men with his beady eyes.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes widened as she saw Diaval suddenly spring, his claws raised to smash into his prey, and the guards had no chance to escape as they were too close. They all fell as Diaval crushed them underneath his massive weight.</p><p>    The dragon lunged forward, jaws wide open, throat glowing from the fire that burned somewhere deep in his gullet. He unleashed his red-hot fire onto the masses, lighting the dark room.</p><p>    “Run, Aurora!” Maleficent cried.</p><p>    The frightened human nodded, and ran out of the great hall.</p><p>    The massive black dragon snapped his jaws onto the iron net that held Maleficent, and yanked it upwards, sending Maleficent rolling across the floor.</p><p>    Dawn’s veins popped out of her head as she pressed her wings hard against the rope that held them tight against her back. She screamed in desperation, trying to get the ropes to snap. She needed to get to Maleficent, and the only way to do that, was to fly.</p><p>    Maleficent stood up slowly, careful not to make herself dizzy. She looked to Dawn with a horrified look on her face. She began to ran towards her, but was stopped by a guard, who had a huge iron shield in front of him, protecting him from head to toe. Maleficent tried to go around him, but there was another guard just like him. She turned her head, and realized that she was completely surrounded by iron shields.</p><p>    Dawn thrashed around violently, the cuffs around her wrists constricting around her like a snake the more she moved, and the iron chains digging themselves into her calves. But she didn’t care. She screamed and thrashed as Maleficent was surrounded.</p><p>    Diaval breathed fire once again, but a heavy chain wrapped around his front leg, and was pulled out from under him. His fire stream stopped as his chin hit the floor. He attempted to lift his head again, but another heavy chain wrapped firmly around his snout.</p><p>    Maleficent heard the very distinct sound of armor clanking, and iron chains knocking against each other. She slowly looked behind her, almost afraid of what she would find. As the shields parted, a man walked in. He was covered head to toe in heavy iron armor, and he had many weapons on him, and heavy iron chains on his belt, and in his hands.</p><p>    He stared Maleficent down with his cold, hard eyes. They were Stefan’s, Maleficent knew right away. How much they have changed over the years.</p><p>    Unexpectedly, Stefan unraveled a huge iron chain. He whipped it sideways, and sent a sine wave towards Maleficent. It sent her flying across the room, and slamming her back against an iron shield.</p><p>    Dawn was paralyzed with absolute horror. She pressed her wings harder against the rope, desperate for it to snap. She thrashed around as she screamed.</p><p>    Stefan ripped off his helmet, revealing his face to Maleficent. The two looked at each other, a different look of hate in both of their eyes. “How does it feel, hm? To be a fairy creature without wings in a world where you don’t belong?”</p><p>    He took the chain, and wrapped it around Maleficent’s middle, making her gasp, and her mouth gape in unexpected pain. Stefan kept the chain around her middle, and slapped her hard in the face with his iron glove. The yelped as she fell to the floor. Her face where Stefan had struck her was scraped and burned.</p><p>    Stefan took out his sword, and aimed it straight for her chest.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes widened in fear. Her heart pounded as she watched helplessly. But then, her eyes were filled with something else. Determination.</p><p>    She screamed as she put all of her strength into her wings, as she strained to snap the rope. She lifted her head to the sky, as if she was calling out to the heavens for strength and assistance.</p><p>    Her cries became so great, that even Stefan had to terminate his attack, and look back at the winged Fae in surprise.</p><p>    <em>SNAP!</em></p><p>The rope broke away as it littered the ground around Dawn. Her wings were now spread, as she looked straight at Stefan, hate burning in her eyes. She flapped her wings, sending her into the air. She was suddenly jerked downwards. She looked down, and saw that her legs were still chained. She took a deep breath, and flapped her wings with on hard grunt.</p><p>    The chains broke out of the floor, sending chunks of concrete and tile everywhere. The force of this action sent Dawn flying upwards even further than she had expected.</p><p>    She flew upwards, with the chains still on her legs dragging on the floor. Two guards jumped onto the chains, holding her in place in the air. The men began to pull her downwards as she struggled to stay in the air. With a sudden burst of energy, Dawn swung her leg around, and the chain around her calf wrapped itself around the neck of one of the men. She did the same with the second man. She then flapped her wings hard, and sent herself flying straight up into the air, all while spinning. The two chained up men crashed into each other as they were suddenly jerked upwards. The men fell to the ground in a great heap as their grip around the chains loosened.</p><p>    “Shoot her down!” Stefan commanded.</p><p>    Almost immediately, arrows began to shoot at the Fae with no breaks or pauses. She dodged most of them, but she was still in danger. She turned around, and clapped her wings together, launching herself onto the ledge of the platform behind her. She fell onto the tile platform, behind a pillar, blocking her from the arrows.</p><p>    Dawn huddled closer to the wall as she bit down on her restricting cuffs, hoping that that would do any good. But alas, it didn’t do anything. She heard someone climbing up the stairs towards her. She stood up in a hurry, ready to fight. Her body relaxed when the person came near.</p><p>    “Aurora!”</p><p>    The blonde human smiled at her as she took cover behind a pillar.</p><p>    “You shouldn’t be here!” Dawn scolded her.</p><p>    Aurora lifted her hand as something she held jingled. The keys to Dawn’s needle cuffs.</p><p>    Dawn sighed with relief. “Aurora, you’re a lifesaver!”</p><p>    The human raced to the Fae, and got to work unlocking the cuffs.</p><p>    Stefan meanwhile, had reached Maleficent, and with his sword had swiftly struck out towards the Fae. Maleficent hit the blade, sending it up and arcing over his head to his other side. As Stefan recovered, he steadied his blade once again. Quickly striking back up to slash at Maleficent’s neck, he was met with the Fae quickly using green magic to stop his attack.</p><p>    Dawn began to sweat with stress as Aurora struggled to unlock the small keyhole to the cuffs. Aurora’s head whipped around in fear as she heard a multitude of guards climbing up the very stairs she did only moments ago. The guards all had their weapons facing the rainbow winged Fae.</p><p>    “Monster,” One of the guards shouted at the Fae. “Let the Princess go!”</p><p>    The man swung his iron sword down towards Dawn’s head. His blade was met with a hard force. For a moment, he thought that his blade had reached the Fae’s head. But that hope quickly diminished as he saw burning scarlet eyes staring right back at him. A strong hand clasped around his throat. He was lifted upwards, as his sword clattered to the ground.</p><p>    Dawn’s cuffs fell to the ground as she stood up and lifted the man higher. Red mist leaked out of her eye like smoke as red magic swirled around her hands. Suddenly, a burst of red light blinded the men, and they were all sent back many feet. Dawn turned her head over her shoulder to look at Aurora.</p><p>    “Thank you. Now you have to get out of here,”</p><p>    Aurora nodded, and ran out of the great hall, and into an unknown room.</p><p>    With as little effort or thought as breathing, Maleficent flicked her left hand, and allowed a strong burst of green magic to shoot straight at Stefan. Eyes widening, the King ducked out of the magic’s path, and falling back he managed to roll out of Maleficent’s path. But the Fae furiously pressed her attack as she flung the magic straight at the man. In a split second decision, Stefan rolled out of the way, so the magic hit the ground unthreateningly.</p><p>    Just as Maleficent was about to attack the King once again, more soldiers swarmed around her like moths to a flame. As the men surrounded Maleficent, Stefan backed away from the fight, and let his men finish the job. She began to fling her magic blindly, hitting random soldiers as she did so. She currently held the upper hand.</p><p>    “You!”</p><p>    Stefan whipped his head around. On the balcony, Dawn stood. She leapt down, and landed on the tile floor. As they circled each other, Stefan noticed that she still had the iron chains bound to her calves, but she seemed to have cut them short as to not get in her way. The chains imbedded themselves into her very flesh and muscles, like metal welded to metal. The iron seemed to become one with her flesh, which made it a gruesome sight to behold.</p><p>    “I’ve waited a long time for this,” Stefan took out his sword.</p><p>    “I’ve been waiting too,” Dawn spat. She bared her fangs as she crouched low, shoulders tense. “And I’ll have you know... that I’m not a little girl any<em>more!</em>”</p><p>    With a ferocious yell, she leapt into the air, sailing straight for Stefan’s face. Stefan held his sword horizontally in front of him as an act of protection. Dawn crashed into him, the momentum of doing so made the man’s feet skid across the floor. As the Fae was blocked off from Stefan with his sword, the skin on her hands and arms bubbling from the hot iron blade as she pressed harder. She glared at him, teeth bared in a ferocious growl.</p><p>    Maleficent unleashed her magic onto the men who surrounded her. She glared at Stefan, who was clashing with Dawn. He didn’t even have the courage to fight Maleficent himself, so he got his soldiers to do it for him. Coward.</p><p>    A soldier leapt at Maleficent. She leapt into the air, twirling around the man so that he completely missed his mark and went crashing to the ground. Maleficent blocked another guard’s sword with her magic, turning in to pin the weapon to the ground with a cloud of green magic, and kicking out a leg to another charging soldier. The man was flung back by the kick, and Maleficent quickly turned the side-kick into a roundhouse as she spun in place and smashed her foot onto another man’s head.</p><p>    She landed gracefully into a crouch. She stood up in front of the surprised and frightened men. They pointed their weapons at her, wondering what she was going to do next. All of their heads turned back suddenly as they heard Stefan’s cry. He was thrown violently to the floor, and Dawn grew a big ball of red energy in her hands, ready to unleash the killing blow. The soldiers abandoned Maleficent in favor of assisting their King.</p><p>    Diaval still fought against the chains holding him, desperate to help his friends. His huge body slammed down to the ground as his hind legs were finally pulled out from underneath him. He hit his head hard on the ground. Everything in his mind and body wanted him to go unconscious, but he fought the urge.</p><p>    Dawn raised her hands, about to serve the final blow to Stefan, who lay on the floor, his hands raised in defense. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with dozens of soldiers, dedicated to protecting their King. The men burst forward and engulfed both Dawn and Stefan. Dawn was knocked back as the wave of soldiers overcame her, and Stefan rolled out from underneath the fray.</p><p>    Without thinking, Maleficent was running forward, not at Stefan, but to the swarm of soldiers. With green magic swirling around her hands, Maleficent reached them and began slashing at any and every bit of skin and muscle she could reach. The iron burned her in several places, but she did not care.</p><p>    Diaval thrashed around harder than he ever had before. The men that held him began to fall as his huge body crashed against them, making their grip on the chains loosen. Seeing the opportunity, Diaval raised his body and head upwards. He snapped his jaw open, which broke the chain. With a mighty roar, he unleashed his red hot fire onto the soldiers that held him.</p><p>    The diminishing light from the fire previously, then reignited again at that moment. The entirety of the great hall was glowing with a luminescent and haunting orange light. The flames were quickly spreading across room. As the battle continued, thunder would crash outside and occasionally, lightning would flash across the sky.</p><p>    Diaval roared at the soldiers who attacked the two Fae. He took a deep breath, and Maleficent and Dawn knew what was coming. Dawn grabbed Maleficent by the waist and held her close. She raised her hand as Diaval unleashed his fire from his jaws. All of the men screamed with terror and pain as they were engulfed in the fire.</p><p>    As the fire burned, Dawn thrust her hand forward, and threw up a red magical shield, but she felt it weaken at once to the intensely hot flames that made her cry out in strain. The flames suddenly ceased once the soldiers were off of them.</p><p>    Dawn suddenly slumped forward. Maleficent caught her before she hit the ground. The winged Fae was gasping softly at the loss of strength she was still trying to regain with each breath. She lay on the tile floor. She struggled to lift her body, only for her shoulder to hit the ground in exhaustion.</p><p>    It was then, when Maleficent saw the true severity of Dawn’s wounds. The chains that held her to the ground a while ago were still there, but she had cut them short, seemingly with her magic, for they were melted at the ends. The iron itself was burned into her muscles and flesh, becoming one with her calves. She had bloody bruises, and small puncture wounds all around her wrists from the cuffs that she bore earlier. Chunks of her wing feathers were either burned, or missing completely. Her face was bloody, battered, burned and bruised, and was covered in ashes and soot. Beads of sweat ran down her face from the heat of the flames, and her entire body was coated in a layer of sweat. What remained of her brown dress, was either torn from a weapon, covered in ashes and soot, singed from Diaval’s fire, or soaked in her own dark blood.</p><p>    Maleficent felt immense anger rise up inside of her. She snapped her head towards Stefan. Green magic swirled around her hands as she leapt at the frightened King. He had little to no men that weren’t dead or injured. He brought his sword up, and protected himself against Maleficent.</p><p>    She slammed her magic onto him, which shook him to his core as it bounced off of his blade. With glowing green fists, Maleficent struck Stefan over and over again, without giving him time to recover. The human was overwhelmed with Maleficent’s attacks.</p><p>    The Fae brought down her fist onto the flat side of Stefan’s raised blade. Like glass, the swords shattered into a million pieces. Stefan was left with only a sword’s handle, as Maleficent sent a blast of magic towards Stefan, sending him back several feet. He landed hard on his back, the back of his head hitting the base of the stairs which lead to his throne.</p><p>    Maleficent advanced towards him. He backed away from her in fear, climbing up the stairs as he did. Her hands glowed green as she towered over him. The two stared at each other, both of them panting heavily.</p><p>    The remaining soldiers stood and watched, hesitant on what to do next.</p><p>    In a foolish attempt, Stefan tried to sit up, but was met with the edge of an iron blade, hovering right in the space between his eyes.</p><p>    Maleficent looked to her right side, and saw that Dawn was the one who held the iron blade. The metal of the handle glowed a white hot orange as it lay against her inner forearm. Her skin bubbled ever so slightly from the heat of the metal. Maleficent grimaced as she heard her skin make a sizzling sound, like melted butter in a hot pan.</p><p>    “Stay where you are, Your Majesty,” Dawn hissed through her clenched teeth as she panted.</p><p>    It took everything Dawn had not to collapse from complete exhaustion. Everything inside her wanted to give up, but she just couldn’t. She held a sword, because magic didn’t seem to get the point across. This display of immense strength, immediately infiltrated through the remaining human ranks. They slowly began to realize with fear that their iron was helpless against her now.</p><p>    Stefan raised his hands in surrender. He had expected Dawn to drive the sword right through him, but she didn’t.</p><p>    “Stefan,” Maleficent spoke. “We don’t want this to go any further. Call off your men, and we’ll go. We will put all of this behind us, if you call off your men,”</p><p>    Stefan hesitated. Dawn jutted the sword forward, making him jump back.</p><p>    “Do it!” She demanded.</p><p>    Diaval made his presence known, as he took two steps forward. He glared at the King as his lips curled back into a snarl. Stefan stared at the three powerful creatures standing before him, and waiting for his decision. Stefan knew that this decision, could mean life or death.</p><p>    Nodding, Stefan slowly raised his hand. Dawn smirked with satisfaction. She waited for him to signal to his troops to stand down. Stefan looked directly into Dawn’s eyes, as he tightened his fist.</p><p>    A sharp pain shot up Dawn’s side as she screamed and doubled over, dropping the sword. An arrow imbedded itself into the stair in front of her, with a scrap of brown fabric, and a chunk of bloody flesh pierced with the arrowhead.</p><p>    Stefan saw this window of opportunity open. He grabbed the blade Dawn one held, and brought it down onto Dawn’s head. Green magic blocked him, and flung the sword upwards, but not quite knocking it out of his hands.</p><p>    Maleficent sent a blast of green magic towards him. But he dodged it, and swung is sword blindly towards the Fae. She screamed and stumbled back as her black fabric ripped. She clutched her stomach, blood seeping in between her fingers as she pressed down.</p><p>    “No!”</p><p>    Dawn wretched the arrowhead from the stairs, and rammed into Stefan with the rage of a thousand suns. She pushed him backwards, fangs bared as she attacked again. She leapt up and flung one arm out. She wrapped it around Stefan’s neck and clung onto him on his back. She noticed a gap in between Stefan’s armor, which left an open spot on his shoulder. Her right arm flew down and plunged the arrowhead into Stefan’s right shoulder.</p><p>    Stefan twisted wildly, trying to get her off any way he could. Diaval and Maleficent backed off, not daring to attack, for fear of hurting her in the process.</p><p>    One…two…three times she removed the arrowhead and plunged it back into Stefan’s body, each time in a new weak point in his armor. Each plunge was followed by a yell of pain from Stefan, and a feeling satisfaction in Dawn. For years she had waited to cause him as much pain as he caused Maleficent. Again and again, she plunged the arrowhead deeper and deeper into Stefan’s flesh. He flailed and yelled in agony, but to no avail. He could not reach her with his arms. The gaps in his armor began to leak dark red blood.</p><p>    With one final yell of desperation, Stefan grabbed Dawn’s hair, and yanked it downwards. With a yell, she was launched from his back, and onto the floor about a foot away from him.</p><p>    With what little time he had, Stefan took out a new weapon from his belt. He didn’t see the need for this before, but it was all he had now. Claws. Three long, curved iron claws, attached to a metal bar, was all he had left. He placed it on his hand, each iron claw going in between in knuckles.</p><p>    Without warning, Dawn leapt at him again, but this time, her arms were glowing red. The scream of fury that exploded from Dawn’s mouth rang through the room. In a flash, she lashed out, her magic fist connecting with the man’s chest and sending him to the floor.</p><p>    Stefan fell unceremoniously. He was no match for the Fae. Dawn glared at Stefan, anger brewing like a storm inside of her as she thought of everything that the wicked King had done.</p><p>    She lunged for him again, colliding her elbow with his face. In the split second that her back was facing Stefan, he grabbed her from behind. She yelled as she struggled against his grip, and as her skin bubbled from his iron armor. She began to push against the ground with her feet, pushing Stefan backwards as she did so.</p><p>    Stefan took out his clawed weapon that lay across his knuckles. He raised his arm, and plunged the curved iron claws deep into Dawn’s back with a yell. Dawn jerked in place, mouth open to scream but unable to as her eyes widened in shock.</p><p>    Time seemed to slow down, and the world began to blur. Maleficent froze in place as she stared in horror, her mind literally crashing to a halt as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened, and couldn't make sense of her world until it was over.</p><p>    Dawn’s magic died as she began to grow weaker. Stefan pushed the iron claws even further into her flesh with a grunt. Her face twisted in agony as she let out a strangled cry, before her mouth gasped in pain once again.</p><p>    He moved the claws in such a way so that she was hooked to him. With unexpected power, he swung his hand around, never releasing his grip on the weapon. With a sickening <em>R-r-r-ip, </em>she was wrenched from him, and was tossed down the stairs with a scream of absolute agony.</p><p>    Dawn lay on her stomach in defeat. Her back throbbed with agony as blood poured from her new wound and onto the tile floor. Stefan had torn out a large portion of her back. If he had gone any deeper, he would have exposed her spine.</p><p>    Maleficent stared at Dawn, to horrified to speak or move. Dawn lay still, gasping for her life. Stefan stared down at the defeated Fae with a large chunk of her flesh still attached to his iron claws, a triumphant look on his face. Although he stared, she didn’t stare back. All she could see, was Maleficent’s horrified face.</p><p>    “I’m sorry...” Dawn’s words were almost inaudible as she let her body go limp.</p><p>    Diaval’s jaws shivered on a rattling breath, and let a cry escape his jaws as such overwhelming sadness consumed him. The roar shook the room as the soldiers were caught unawares by it.</p><p>    Maleficent felt something within her snap. She couldn't move, couldn't speak...think. All she felt was the need for vengeance! Without much thought, she charged towards Stefan, rage burning deep inside of her.</p><p>    Stefan blindly flung his iron claws towards Maleficent. Only the tip of a claw sliced at her face cutting her open from the top of her right brow and straight down over her eye and down her cheek. It was only because she flinched and scrunched up her eye just before the metal connected that her eye was saved.</p><p>    Before she could recover, Stefan grabbed a leftover chain on the floor, and whipped it at Maleficent, sending her flying across the room, and onto the stairs. She lifted her head up, her hands and knees still of the floor. She watched as Stefan picked up an iron sword off of the ground.</p><p>    “No more running Maleficent!” The human snapped at her, out of breath.</p><p>    “So it seems...” Maleficent murmured. She felt weaker and weaker by the second as the wounds on her stomach and face bled heavily.</p><p>    Stefan tightened his grip on his sword, glaring threateningly at the Fae before him. He raised his sword, and aimed it straight at Maleficent’s chest, and jabbed forward.</p><p>    She gasped as her eyes went wide, her body jerking slightly as her mouth gaped. A bright glow emitted from her back, blinding Stefan as he stumbled back.</p><p>    It was at this moment, when Aurora ran to the edge of the platform above, smiling as Maleficent slowly stood up.</p><p>    The bright glow shone from her back, illuminating a shadow behind her. Dawn’s blurry vision adjusted ever so slightly, and she gasped softly. She was sure that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but alas, Maleficent’s giant brown wings reattached themselves to her body. As her body glowed, her wounds began to heal quickly.</p><p>    Dawn smiled weakly. Her soft breaths became shaky as she felt an immense wave of tiredness come over her. Her head, which was raised about a centimeter off of the tile, fell to the floor. Her entire body relaxed as her eyes closed. She let herself succumb to the darkness, knowing that all was well, and that her work was done.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. No Truer Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Stefan was dead.</p><p>    After Maleficent dragged him outside from the window, she had dropped him off on a tower high up. She showed him mercy, though he did not deserve it. Maleficent tried to walk away, but he grabbed her, and they both went tumbling downwards. She spread her wings and took flight, causing the human to fall to his death.</p><p>    Maleficent then hurried back into the great hall, climbing in through the broken window. Smoke from the remaining dragon fire clouded around her thickly, and she struggled to breathe for a moment as the coughing almost overwhelmed her. She had forgotten how much smoke was building up in the room.</p><p>    All of the guards were either dead, or ran away. Those injured were carried out of the room with those who escaped. Maleficent’s eyes fell on what lay in the middle of the room. Diaval, still in his dragon form, lay down, his head on the ground, and his eyes looking to the ground sadly. A soft whine escaped his mouth as he sighed sadly. Aurora was on her knees as well, tears in her eyes as both she and Diaval huddled around.</p><p>    Maleficent hurried towards them with a flap of her wings. She landed softly on the ground, walking towards the group. Both Diaval and Aurora looked up at her, tears sparkling in their eyes. Maleficent’s eyes stung with wetness as well when she saw who they huddled around.</p><p>    She went to her knees, in disbelief at what she saw. Dawn’s body was more broken and bloody than ever before. A pool of congealed blood lay around her. Maleficent pulled her close against her. Tears stung her eyes. She couldn't allow her to die – she simply refused! For years, when the two were together… it had evoked a warmth within her that dispelled the cold loneliness in her she hadn't known had infected her. But now Dawn was leaving her, and it threatened to return all at once with a dreaded accomplice: despair.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes slowly opened. A small smile appeared on her face as she let out a soft moan of pain. The weakness Maleficent had seen in Dawn was finally claiming her. As much as her bleeding heart refused to allow the possibility… she knew she was dying.</p><p>    “Mal...” Her voice was so soft. “I... I think... I’m...”</p><p>    Panic wouldn't let Maleficent hear the words. She cradled her head in her hands, her thumb stroking away the tear that spilled on her cheeks. "No! You'll <em>live</em>, Dawn. I swear it,"</p><p>    Dawn looked up at her, knowing exactly how futile her denial was. And then, her lips curved into a smile. She lifted her hand up slowly, shaking slightly as she rose it to Maleficent’s face. Her hand was place gently on her left cheek as her thumb wiped her tear away. Maleficent smiled sadly and placed her own hand on top of hers as she leaned into it.</p><p>    Dawn’s smile dissolved into fit of coughing that left her trembling and almost completely limp. She clutched her stomach as pain tore through her entire system. Dawn knew that it would be over soon. She could feel her mind and body slipping away with each passing moment.</p><p>    Her head lay in the crook of Maleficent’s arm. Her chest rose and fell at a minuscule pace. She was quickly losing energy and she grew very weary and tired. This was not the tired that one feels when it is time to rest. It is an exhaustion that is beyond any other. This exhaustion was the kind that accompanied death. She could, quite literally, feel her life force diminishing within her.</p><p>    Her vision began to fade in and out, becoming unfocused and then clear before becoming unfocused again. Breathing became harder and harder. She began to feel a sinking feeling…as if she was sinking into herself. Her vision began to move away from her, as if she was actually moving away from the windows that were her eyes. A blanket of darkness began to move over her and started to numb the pain. Now her entire body slowly started to feel as if it was simply not there at all.</p><p>    “Mal...” She was barely able to move her lips…they seemed so far away now. “I... I lo...”</p><p>    Her voice trailed off, leaving the unfinished words floating in the air. Her body went completely limp, and her eyes slowly closed. Her hand fell from Maleficent’s cheek, but she refused to let it fall. She kept her hand on her cheek.</p><p>    “No...” Maleficent breathed. She denied herself what she had just seen... but it couldn’t be denied. “No!”</p><p>    Aurora’s face slowly fell, and tears pooled in her eyes. She shook her head slowly, her lower lip quivered. Diaval let out a soft whine as he nuzzled closer to the fallen Fae.</p><p>    “No,” Maleficent said sternly. “I won’t have it,”</p><p>    “Godmother?” Aurora asked in confusion.</p><p>    Maleficent closed her eyes, and hovered her hand above Dawn’s chest. A soft golden glow encased around Dawn’s body. Maleficent’s face became strained as she concentrated. Aurora stared in wonder as the deep cuts on Dawn’s body healed in a matter of seconds.</p><p>    Maleficent could feel herself getting weaker by the second. She focused her magic on Dawn’s most serious injuries. The ones that killed her. The bloody hole in her back slowly healed. Aurora cringed when she heard her wing bones snap back into place.</p><p>    Maleficent felt like she was about to pass out, but she continued. She wasn’t going to stop until her body completely shut down. Her eyebrows furrowed and her teeth clenched as she pushed on further.</p><p>    She heard a ferocious yell echo in the room, and was surprised to discover that it was coming from her own mouth. She yelled as she pushed all of her strength into her magic.</p><p>    She kept on going, until she went too far. A scream tore from her mouth as pain shot through her head. White hot agony eclipsed her entire body.</p><p>    “Godmother!” Aurora rushed to the Fae’s side in distress.</p><p>    Maleficent heaved, trying to breathe properly through the hurt that seemed to have overtaken her. She let out a huge sigh, and almost collapsed, her head crashing against Aurora’s chest as she recuperated her second wind.</p><p>    She sat up almost immediately, a lightheadedness overtaking her head. She shook it off, and rushed to Dawn’s side. Her hands hovered over her body, hesitant to touch her, almost as if she was made of glass, and the slightest touch would shatter her.</p><p>    She gently gathered Dawn in her arms, closely watching her face with anticipation, watching for any signs of movement. Even the air held its breath as they waited. She was practically praying for some form of movement. Seconds crawled by, or maybe it was minutes, Maleficent wasn’t sure.</p><p>    There was no response. Misery threatened to make Maleficent’s heart fail. She was too late. She couldn’t heal her in time.</p><p>    Hesitantly, she brushed her lips against hers in a secret kiss. One last glimmer of affection, before that part of her life would die with her. She held her in her arms, pressing her forehead against hers, and let the tears roll down her cheeks.</p><p>    Moments slipped by as Maleficent held Dawn’s limp body in her arms. Silence filled the air as she silently cried.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>    “Mal?”</p><p>    It took her a second or two to register that someone had spoken. But when she shifted in her arms, she couldn't mistake it. Her eyes snapped wide open and she pulled back, shocked. Dawn blinked her eyes open. Maleficent felt her heart drop into her stomach with shock. “Dawn?!”</p><p>    Seeming to comprehend what had happened, Dawn’s eyes grew wide as she stared up at her, her mouth hanging open. She looked confused by her fast recovery, and perhaps overwhelmed. Though there were still some injuries, overall she was well.</p><p>    Maleficent almost knocked Dawn to the ground again as she nearly attacked her with a fierce hug. She hugged her tightly, savoring the moment as long as she could.</p><p>    “I thought I lost you,” Maleficent choked out as she stroked Dawn’s hair.</p><p>    The two pulled away. A huge smile spread across Maleficent’s face as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes once again.</p><p>    With her hand placed on Dawn’s chin, Maleficent pulled her closer, if that was even possible, and pressed her lips against hers. Dawn’s eyes opened wide in surprise, but she smiled into the kiss as her hands rested upon her hollow cheeks, tracing the outlines of her sharp cheekbones.</p><p>    The two pulled apart, both of them smiling until their cheeks hurt. Unexpectedly, Aurora hugged Dawn around the middle, catching her unawares. Although surprised at first, she returned the hug.</p><p>    Diaval made a sort of growling noise at Maleficent, before she turned him back into a human. He hugged Dawn and Aurora as well.</p><p>    “I don’t have enough arms, you guys,” Dawn joked as the four embraced.</p><p>    As Diaval and Aurora backed away, the two Fae remained in each other’s embrace. The two pressed their foreheads against each other.</p><p>    “I love you, Mal,” Dawn finished her words that she left in the air not too long ago.</p><p>    Maleficent answered with another kiss. They parted and hugged again.</p><p>    “I love you too,”</p><p>    Diaval and Aurora smiled at each other.</p><p>    “No truer love,” Diaval whispered, a smile on his face.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Sweetness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    It’s been two days since the fight. Although Maleficent healed her greatly, Dawn was still injured. Maleficent helped her stand to their journey back to the Moors, even going so far as to carry her.</p><p>    The chains that were around Dawn’s calves, were difficult to remove. Although it was long and painful, Dawn had managed to get them out. All that was left, were dents and bumpy scabs around each of her legs. Although they still burned slightly, she knew that they would scar over in time.</p><p>    The moment the four returned to the Moors, Maleficent brought down her wall of thorns, and took off her crown.</p><p>    After the wall came down, the Moors past beauty seemed to come back. They were beautiful before, but now they were positively radiant. Almost as if a shadow has moved away from the enchanted lands.</p><p>    Dawn had thought that the position as Queen was diminished, and that they would go back to having no royalty. But that was not the case.</p><p>    Aurora now bore the golden crown of the Moors. All of the creatures and fairies of the lands rejoiced for their new Queen, as they sung a song that was sung during her christening all those years ago, although some words were modified for the occasion.</p><p>
  <em>Joyfully now to our new Queen we come</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Bringing gifts and all good wishes too</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We pledge our loyalty anew</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Queen Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>All of her subjects adore her</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Queen, hail to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Queen Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Health to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wealth to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Long live the Queen Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail Aurora, hail Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Health to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wealth to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Long live the Queen Aurora</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Queen, hail to the Queen</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hail to the Queen Aurora!</em>
</p><p>Even though she was no longer Queen, Maleficent helped Aurora run the kingdom quite frequently. However, whenever Maleficent was busy, the human girl was left to run the kingdom by herself. She was liked and respected as a Queen. She seemed to be making the right choices, whether it was settling a dispute between fairies, granting permission for trivial requests, taking note of which fairies were entering the Moors (which became more and more with the passing months), or simply just being fair to the subjects.</p><p>    On this one particular day, Dawn had just finished cleaning herself, and she was drying her hair with a towel. The evening sky was a deep blue and shone with the light of countless stars. It was as though somebody had taken an entire jar of silver glitter and tossed it up into the sky. The moon shone in the western portion, like a beacon, casting a faint blue-white light across the Moors. She stopped and stared around. The Moors had never looked more lush and alive.</p><p>    She put on her white dress, that went a little bit past her knees. Her usual brown was so ripped and torn from the battle all those months ago, that it was no longer wearable. That didn’t bother her, though. She had plenty of other clothes to choose from.</p><p>    As her hair was partially dried, she looked up to the sky. It was slowly changing from dark blue to deep lavender. Over to the east, a pink hue slowly snuck up from behind a range of mountains. Above, the glittering stars in the sky began to fade.</p><p>    Dawn looked at her legs once again. Her scabs have now turned into scars over the months. There were dents and bumps alike around her calves. One particular bump however, was slightly darker than the rest of her skin. It itched at times, but Dawn knew that it was nothing to worry about, and that some scar tissue could be a different color from the rest of the skin.</p><p>    Her eyes fell on a small stick on the ground. She hesitated at first, but she slowly extended her hand out towards the small piece of wood. She closed her eyes, and focused. She dug deep into her mind, looking for the ways of the past.</p><p>    She wanted to feel the warm energy of her magic flowing through her body like water once again. She looked at the stick, wanting red magic to swirl around it, and to lift it up off of the ground.</p><p>    Her arm shook as her eyebrows creased together, sweat forming on her brow. She dared not to breath, in fear that if she did do, her concentration would be shattered.</p><p>    She let out a sharp sigh as she threw her arm down. She couldn’t do it. Her boot met the ground hard, sending rocks and dirt across the ground. She grabbed the stick off of the ground, and grew it into the creek with a grunt of frustration.</p><p>    Ever since the battle, Dawn’s magic seemed to have disappeared. It was almost as if the magic itself was seriously injured, and it was taking an awful long time to heal. She didn’t like to think about it, but maybe her magic had died altogether, and she could use it anymore. The thought of it made her cringe, and she didn’t want to bring herself to dwell upon it.</p><p>    “They’ll come back,”</p><p>    Dawn smiled, recognizing the voice of Maleficent.</p><p>    “How can you be so sure?”</p><p>    Maleficent took Dawn’s hand in hers. “You’re strong. I know that it will come back when you need it most,”</p><p>    Maleficent wore a long brown dress, with long and flowing sleeves. She no longer wore a hairpiece, and she let her long brown hair flowed loosely on her shoulders.</p><p>    Dawn smiled at Maleficent’s words. It was then when she noticed that she was wringing her hands nervously.</p><p>    “I-I was wondering... if we could talk? If you’re not... busy,”</p><p>    Dawn nodded. “No, I’m not busy. What’s on your mind?”</p><p>    Maleficent lead Dawn to a willow tree. Dawn’s eyes widened with delight.</p><p>    “That’s the tree from the Festival of Lights!” She exclaimed.</p><p>    “Yes...” Maleficent blushed slightly at the memory. The two went into the tree. As Dawn entered, she gasped. The top of the tree was strung with many lights, changing color every few seconds, from white, to green, blue, red, then back to white. The floor was littered with colored petals, ranging from white, red, pink and purple.</p><p>    As Dawn admired the scene, Maleficent inhaled deeply and straightened out her dress. The box in her pocket felt like it was burning through the fabric.</p><p>    “This is gorgeous!” Dawn continued to look around. She looked at Maleficent. “Did you do all this?”</p><p>    She nodded.</p><p>    “What’s the occasion?”</p><p>    Maleficent took in a deep breath, ignoring the increasing beating of her heart.</p><p>    “Dawn... are you happy? Being with me?”</p><p>    Dawn couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “Of course I am! What kind of a question is that?”</p><p>    Maleficent hesitated for a moment, before reaching into her pocket. Dawn’s smile disappeared when suddenly she bent down to the ground, pulling out a small, black box from her pocket. Her eyes widened as she looked to Maleficent, a gasp escaping her lips. She opened the box, revealing a small, beautiful ring.</p><p>    “So?”</p><p>    <em>“So?”</em> Dawn coughed out and looked at Maleficent with the most joyful and innocent look she had ever witnessed.  “Of course,” She whispered and sobbed slightly. “Of course I’ll marry you, you idiot,”</p><p>    Dawn nearly tackled her in a hug. Suddenly she pulled Maleficent into her roughly, placing her lips against hers. Maleficent smiled into the kiss as she picked her up off the ground gently. Slowly, Maleficent placed her back on the ground, tears in her eyes. She placed the ring upon Dawn’s finger on her right hand.</p><p>    Dawn couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face in answer. Maleficent pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her and simply holding her in her arms. Slowly, she leaned in and kissed her once again. She savored her tender touch, the soft kiss betrayed by the hungry passion in her hold. And Dawn returned the affection with pride.</p><p>    They only stopped when they had to pause for air, but even then, she still stayed in her arms. They pressed their foreheads together, eyes conveying all the love they could share in their gazes.</p><p>    “I love you, Mal,”</p><p>    Maleficent smiled at her old nickname. “I love you too,”</p><p>    As the two walked hand in hand out of the willow tree. The moment they got outside, they were greeted with a large crowd of fairies and creatures alike. The sun was just raised above the horizon, lighting up the lands. The crowd was deathly silent, and all of them were looking at the pair expectantly.</p><p>    Diaval and Aurora walked up to the two Fae. “Well?” He asked.</p><p>    Aurora looked at Maleficent. “What did she say?”</p><p>    Dawn held her right hand in front of her, showing Aurora the ring. The human squealed with excitement as she turned to her subjects.</p><p>    “She said yes!” She announced excitedly to the fairies.</p><p>    Instantly, the atmosphere changed from apprehension to excitement. The crowd erupted in a great cheer at the Queen’s announcement. The human girl suddenly gave a shriek of joy as she bounced on the spot, clapping her hands together as she beamed. Diaval was only a split second behind her as he cried out in celebration as he spread his arms wide.</p><p>    Aurora enthusiastically wrapped her arms around Maleficent’s neck and pulled her close for a tight embrace as she jabbered animatedly, and Diaval came to Dawn in order to clap his friend’s shoulders as he beamed at her with a proud smile. And then Aurora and Diaval swapped as Aurora disentangled herself from Maleficent in order to launch herself at Dawn, pulling her down to hug her.</p><p>    “I thought I told you two not to tell anyone,” Maleficent said as she and Diaval parted from their hug.</p><p>    Diaval raised his hands. “Don’t look at me,”</p><p>    Maleficent looked at Aurora, an eyebrow raised.</p><p>    The human shrugged. “I couldn’t help it,”</p><p>    Dawn laughed as she turned to Maleficent. “Don’t be too hard on them, they’re just excited,”</p><p>    “Let us all celebrate!” Aurora announced to her subjects. “For my Godmother’s engagement!”</p><p>    Another round of applause was heard. Soon after, a grand party was held. The celebrations went rather well. There was music, dancing, and everyone enjoyed themselves. As Dawn and Maleficent were dancing, they forgot all of their surroundings, even the sudden pace of music as though they are living in their own private world. Feelings of happiness encircled them. Maleficent felt sparkles of joy shining in her golden eyes.</p><p>    The music began to swell. Maleficent took Dawn’s hand and twirled her around. She then picked her up by her waist and spun her around, making her dress swirl around her legs. They stopped dancing, and pressed their foreheads together. The music ended, and a sense of gracefulness into the air. Dawn smiled lightly and slowly twirled into Maleficent. Once she was placed gently in her arms, Maleficent bent her down slowly and placed a kiss upon her lips. A few fairies cheered as the music came to its end. Dawn smiled into the kiss, and pulled away from Maleficent. She met her deep golden eyes, and she met her scarlet and pale ones.</p><p>    As the party continued, Maleficent took Dawn’s hand. She lead her away from the crowd. She lead her to the willow tree, the inside of it still decorated.</p><p>    “Mal, what is going on?" Dawn quirked an eyebrow at her suspiciously.</p><p>    “Am I not allowed to want a little private moment with my fiancé?” She asked with a smirk. A soft golden glow illuminated her hand, and a soft shimmer encased the entire outside of the tree.</p><p>    “What’s this?” Dawn asked.</p><p>    “A forcefield,” Maleficent answered. “It’s so no one can get in... or out,” She purred into Dawn’s ear, making her blush like mad.</p><p>    Dawn felt Maleficent’s hands travel down to her thighs. She then picked her up by the thighs, making her gasp in surprise. She gently pinned her to the trunk of the tree, letting Dawn’s legs wrap around her middle.</p><p>    Dawn blushed and found herself kissing her without reserve, wanting nothing more than to feel her affection. Maleficent pulled her closer, running a hand through her hair as she moaned lowly. She pressed her harder against the tree trunk behind her. Dawn felt herself go red as she let out a whimper as Maleficent’s hands began to roam her body.</p><p>    “M-Mal...” Dawn moaned quietly.</p><p>    Maleficent couldn’t help but smirk at Dawn’s reaction as she kissed her neck. “Dawn... You’re absolutely beautiful, you know,” Dawn’s face grew redder as she looked away quickly. Maleficent smiled and cupped her face, moving her head so she’d look at her. Dawn took in the gentle smile on Maleficent’s face as she stared at her. “I mean it,”</p><p>    Dawn felt her blush deepening, if that was even possible. “I love you...” She felt herself say once again.</p><p>    Maleficent smiled sweetly. “I love you too,”</p><p>    A smirk slowly spread on her face, and she leaned in to Dawn’s ear. She gently nipped at Dawn’s earlobe, making her gasp in surprise and delight. She tangled her hands in Maleficent’s long hair as she kissed her neck. She let out surprised squeaks and moans on occasion when the brown-winged Fae bit gently at her skin.</p><p>    Dawn, unable to control her impulse any longer, closed the distance between them, and locked her lips with Maleficent’s in a hungry kiss. Maleficent pulled her close, her hand on the back of her neck so that she could tilt her head to deepen the kiss. As their hands roamed each other’s bodies, they began to pull at each other’s clothes.</p><p>    Maleficent gently slid Dawn’s dress strap off of her shoulder, relishing in the shiver she gave as her fingers grazed over her bare skin. She left a trail of kisses on her bare shoulder, and another on her collarbone. Dawn was unable to believe what was happening. Not more than a few months ago, she’d never imagine such a thing would come straight from her dreams. Dawn clung to her as they made their way closer to the soft, mossy, petal littered ground…</p><p>    Dawn was hardly aware of what was happening after that. She was simply lost in herself, and in the sweetness of her dearly beloved.</p><p>    Her Maleficent.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I wrote a smut that takes place literally a few seconds after this chapter because I hate myself. https://archiveofourown.org/works/27771637#comments</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Sumna</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    A small group of people snuck in the blackness of night, slipping behind every wall on every building they could find. The snow crunched softly under their feet, and they shifted from shadow to shadow as they moved slowly through the city. All three of them were cloaked in black as they slipped through the night. One of them was a woman. Her name was Sumna. She had frizzy brown hair, dark skin and deep brown eyes. In her arms was a white bundle, which she clutched tightly to her chest.</p><p>    Sumna looked into the night sky. And in the faint moonlight, she could make out a figure soaring through the sky. From the ground, it looked like a great bird soaring through the dark jeweled sky. She smiled as a sigh of relief escaped her lips.</p><p>    The bundle in her arms began to squirm, and a cry was heard from it. The woman froze as her child’s cry cut through the silence of the night.</p><p>    “Keep it quiet, would you?” A man scolded her. “We might be spotted!”</p><p>    “Hush, little one,” The woman comforted the child, bouncing it slightly in her arms. “It’s okay,”</p><p>    “You’re the one who payed us to do this!” The other man whispered to her. “Be quiet!”</p><p>    Sumna froze, and a scream escaped her lips as the man in front of her fell to the ground in a heap. An arrow with red feathers protruded from his neck as the wound bled heavily.</p><p>    Before the two remaining party members could react, they were surrounded by heavily armored men, all of them pointing sharp spears at the two. The woman held her child close to her chest as she froze with terror.</p><p>    The sound of great hooves pounding against the snow and cobblestone was heard. Their eyes widened in fear as something approached. Around the corner came an older woman on a great black horse. Her long and immaculate blonde hair and sharp emerald eyes cut through the pair’s souls. She sat upon her giant animal, looking down at them with disgust. The tall woman was dressed in fine amour and a long cape of spun silver that glittered in the faint moonlight. Her great silver crown was placed regally on her head.</p><p>    “Queen Muriel...” The cloaked woman breathed.</p><p>    Everyone knew of the fearsome Queen Muriel. She guarded her kingdoms fiercely, killing, sometimes arresting, anyone who entered her country illegally.</p><p>    “Bring these... <em>creatures</em> to the palace,” The Queen glared at the cloaked woman and her accompaniment with her hard emerald eyes.</p><p>    “Please...” The man began to beg. “We were just passing through... we have done nothing wrong!”</p><p>    “Silence!” Queen Muriel quickly silenced the frightened man. Her terrifying gaze fell onto Sumna. “You there!” She pointed at her. “What are you hiding?!”</p><p>    Sumna’s heart slammed against her rib cage as she held the white bundle close to her chest. Her brown eyes widened in terror as she took a small step backwards.</p><p>    Muriel snapped her fingers at her soldiers. “Take it from her,”</p><p>    Sumna then made a decision. Her mind protested against it, but her body and instincts said otherwise. Before she could give it another thought, her body reacted.</p><p>    She ran.</p><p>    Her legs went as fast as they could, her heart pounding so hard so fast that it began to hurt. She heard the distinct sound of pounding hooves getting closer and closer. The Queen’s black horse’s grunts and whinnies were getting louder and louder as well. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, but she pushed past it. The pain was temporary, and she would thank herself later for not giving up.</p><p>    She ran into an empty courtyard. She scanned the place, desperate to find a small place to escape so that the Queen wouldn’t be able to follow her. But she found none. She looked to the sky once again, but to her horror, she could not find the bird-like figure she saw before.</p><p>    Muriel drew nearer, the black horse now running at full speed. Sumna’s brown eyes widened in terror as the Queen drew her long sword made of pure silver. If it had been any other occasion, the blade would have been a beautiful sight to behold. It shimmered in the moonlight as Muriel brought it down.</p><p>    Sumna screamed a name into the sky, but it was drowned out by the sound of hooves. She dove out of the way, feeling the wind of the huge black horse running past her. She rolled to the hard ground. She looked up in terror as Muriel charged again, her silver blade raised high over her head.</p><p>    Muriel pointed the blade at the woman’s chest like a javelin. Sumna tried to dive out of the way, but the blade caught on her clothes on her shoulder. The woman was dragged as the horse kept on running. Sumna struggled to get herself off of the blade, but the horse was going to fast. She was stuck.</p><p>    Without hesitation, Queen Muriel thrust her blade to the side. Sumna’s clothes then slid off of the blade, throwing her off of it with an amazing force. The woman screamed as she was thrown off, still clutching the white bundle.</p><p>    She landed on the stone stairs, a loud and sickening <em>crack!</em> echoing throughout the courtyard. The woman went limp. Blood began to pool down the stairs from the huge crack in the back of her skull. The snow was stained a deep red.</p><p>    The Queen smiled in satisfaction as she sheathed her silver blade. Her face grew confused as she heard a child’s cry.</p><p>    “A child?” She directed her horse towards the bundle on the stairs. She picked it up from the stone. She moved the blanket from the child’s head to get a better look. She gasped as she recoiled in shock and terror. “A demon!”</p><p>    Suddenly, a huge mass landed in between the two women. Muriel slowly looked up from the monstrous child, and to the creature that has landed. Her black horse whinnied and reeled back, making the Queen fall hard to the ground. As her horse ran away, she stared in horror at the creature in front of her.</p><p>    He had long straight black hair that spilled over his shoulders, light brown skin, and crimson eyes that reminded her of the fury of hell. He had great black horns that curled from the top of his head, and huge colored wings set upon his back.</p><p>    Muriel took out her sword once again, but it was easily knocked to the ground with a swipe of his hand. He grabbed onto the nape of her armor, lifting her off of the ground. He quickly ripped the child away from her hands and held it close to him.</p><p>    With burning red eyes, the creature threw Muriel to the ground. She tumbled to the ground, leaving a skid mark in the snow. She looked up, and saw that the creature was now holding her silver sword.</p><p>    “Wait!” She held up her hand. “Spare me!”</p><p>    The creature’s face only hardened as he answered. “Did you spare her?” He pointed to sword behind him, to the woman on the stairs, her blood running down the stone.</p><p>    Suddenly, the creature sliced downwards, and the sword sliced at Muriel’s face cutting her open from the top of her left brow and straight down over her eye and down her cheek. Her left eye was completely gone, just a gore-filled hole. Blood coated her lips and teeth. The wound would definitely scar… if the creature allowed her to live long enough to scar.</p><p>    He lifted the Queen up by her neck. Her remaining eye bulged out of its socket as her face began to heat up. She grasped at the creature’s strong arm, struggling to breathe as she did so. Her feet searched for any form of solid ground, but only found air.</p><p>    “You preach about justice...” He hissed. “Now you shall receive yours,”</p><p>    And with that, he thrust the silver blade into Muriel’s belly, the Queen jerking in place, mouth open to scream but unable to as her eyes widened in shock. The creature quickly removed the blade, Muriel gasping and whimpering as the blade was withdrawn from her body, the curve in the edge tearing through the flesh and causing more pain and damage as it was retracted.</p><p>    He let go of the Queen’s neck, letting her fall to the ground in a bloody heap. She lay on the ground as she clutched her stomach, and her mouth gaped in pain. The Queen was gasping softly at the loss of strength she was still trying to regain with each breath. She struggled to lift her body, only for her shoulder to hit the ground in exhaustion. And with that, her last breath left her body, and she lay still.</p><p>    He tossed the blade to the ground with a clank. He looked at the child in his arms, relieved that it was alright. The child’s eyes remained closed as it breathed steadily.</p><p>    The creature then turned around. Slowly, he approached the heap on the stone stairs, scared for what he was about to see. Darkness was still around, for the sun had yet to rise, but the mound drew his attention as if it were shining with a glowing light. He knew what it was, but was yet to see the full damage done. He reached the mass, and slowly circled it to see if he could see the damage done to the woman.</p><p>    Sumna, her eyes closed, lay motionless on the stone steps. Dried blood was clumped in her hair on the back of her head, where her skull had cracked open on the stone.</p><p>    All of the breath in his body was taken away as if he had been hit in the stomach. He gritted his teeth, his entire body was shaking with anger. He was tensing up. He clenched his fists, and ground his teeth to the point where it hurt. Then, with every ounce of strength that he had, he roared in fury.</p><p>    He fell to the ground in anguish beside the woman. Tears spilled out of his eyes as he grabbed his hair in distress. His hand hovered above her cheek, his hand shaking.</p><p>    He slowly pulled his hand away, and looked to the child in his arms. He stared at the child for a moment, all the anger and hate slowly disappearing from his face. He then smiled with pure love for the child, and tenderly kissed its tiny forehead. Tears began to streak down his cheeks.</p><p>    “I’m sorry, little one,” He whispered. “But we are going to have to make it home without her...”</p><p>    He stood up slowly as he held the child close to his chest. He took in one final look at the woman on the stairs, who had died to save the child. He spread his huge wings, and clapped them together. He shot straight up into the air, leaving the ground behind. He soared through the air, the child sleeping soundly in his arms. He wasn’t able to save Sumna, but at least he saved the child.</p><p>    And as the dawn brightened the horizon, he flew back to his home.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Five Years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Five years ago... Aurora became Queen of the Moors.</p><p>    In the years that passed, Aurora ruled the Moors very well. She made it her duty to be one with the people, often being seen publicly in order to strengthen relations with the citizens, making the Moors a peaceful place. She became beloved by all the people under her rule, they marveled at her beauty and kindness, and she eventually earned the title as “The Fairie’s Queen” or more commonly “The Fair Queen”.</p><p>    Every so often, Prince Philip would come to the magical kingdom. Every time he visited, he had the biggest smile on his face as he hugged Aurora. According to Philip, his father, King John, was very happy that his son had found a possible future Queen for him. Aurora was afraid that Philip’s family wouldn’t approve of her, since she was the Queen of fairies. She was overjoyed to find out that she was wrong. Dawn knew that Aurora was falling in love with the human boy, but she was wary. She didn’t want her heart to be broken as Stefan had broken Maleficent’s all those years ago.</p><p>    As five years passed, there was five years of happiness for Dawn and Maleficent. Dawn remembered how Aurora threw a grand celebration for both of their birthdays every year. Dawn couldn’t believe that she was now 41 years old. For a Fae that wasn’t an old age, but she still couldn’t believe how much time had passed. She still looked the same she did five years ago. The only difference now, was that her hair was longer, and she had managed to tame it. Her curls were much more neat, and defined.</p><p>    But one problem was, Dawn’s magic hadn’t come back at all. The only sign that it was there, was a small spark of red lightning when she got angry. It only lasted for one second, but it was there. That was two years ago. But she didn’t care, because she didn’t need magic to make her happy.</p><p>    Dawn would never forget her and Maleficent’s wedding night. They held it during The Festival of Lights. Although Aurora wanted it be more extravagant, the couple were happy with what they had made. The celebration after the couple got married lasted for and entire day, and honestly Dawn didn’t remember most of it. But she would never forget that blissful night she and Maleficent shared.</p><p>    Dawn couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd slept in complete peace and without dreams at all. The kind of rest where she felt completely rejuvenated when she awoke. It must have been a long time. Her body felt absolutely splendid also, there were slight aches in certain places which she refused to think about, but in all, she felt like she was glowing. Nothing was more perfect then that moment.</p><p>    After the pair had exhausted themselves, they'd both collapsed and almost fallen unconscious straight away, but they’d still retained some functions in order to pull themselves close to one another, holding each other in an embrace through the night.</p><p>    All was well in the Moors. But something changed.</p><p>    More and more fairies would disappear almost every night. Maleficent went to go investigate one night, and found humans that she didn’t recognize in the woods. She knew that someone in one of the human kingdoms had to have given the order, but she didn’t know which one.</p><p>    She would soon find out.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn gazed at the sky, trying to count every single star in the sky. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, making the sky a light purple color. The breeze felt warm against her skin and the sounds of wildlife relaxed her. She then jumped off the cliff and spread her rainbow feathered wings. Her most noticeable trait.</p><p>    She took in a deep breath of fresh air as the breeze hit her face. She slowly flew downwards, letting her hand travel just above the water as she flew above a river. She squinted her eyes as the first light of the sun bounced back off of the water brightly. Her eyes set to another reflection next to hers. She felt a smirk spread on her face as she flipped her body around, so that her back was facing the ground.</p><p>    “Fancy a morning fly?” Dawn called as she continued to fly on her back.</p><p>    Maleficent smiled amusedly, her big wings creating a ripple on the water. On her head, she wore a headdress made of snakeskin, and a small bird’s skull placed on her forehead.</p><p>    Maleficent squinted her eyes playfully at her wife, making Dawn blush slightly. Maleficent flapped her wings, sending herself upwards. Dawn watched as the Fae flew above her, towards the clouds. Shaking her head, a laugh escaped her lips. She flapped her own wings and quickly caught up with Maleficent.</p><p>    It was like a whole other world above the clouds. Dawn couldn’t see the ground or the woods underneath, only clouds. The sun had just peaked over the horizon, coloring the clouds a beautiful pink and orange. Her lips parted in wonder as they glided against the sunlight illuminated clouds. No matter how many times she did this, it was never any less gorgeous than the first time she did it.</p><p>    Dawn soared above the clouds, flying through the air, becoming one with the skies as she flew in peace. She flew higher up into the clouds, emerging out of them as she spread her wings wide to catch the air to allow her to hover.</p><p>    Maleficent was only a second after her as she too emerged through the clouds, coming up right behind her, taking in the sight of her for a breath-taking minute, before she circled around her. Dawn immediately followed, continuing to circle her, the two spinning and spiraling until it was no longer clear who was chasing who. They sailed over the clouds and under the sunlit sky, their chase smoothing out and then building again, simply playing with each other.</p><p>    Dawn would do impressive loop-de-loops over Maleficent, and she would circle around her, or dive beneath her and turn so that she was flying on her back and facing her. They said not a word, as if it might break whatever enchantment lay upon the sky, with nothing but the sun and the clouds as witness.</p><p>    Maleficent brought herself up in front of her, chest to chest and face to face, their wings outstretched and letting the air currents carry them. They hovered in the sky, looking into each other’s eyes. Dawn couldn’t resist those gorgeous golden eyes. She has seen them almost every day, but they were still just as beautiful as the first time she saw them.</p><p>    Dawn noticed the look Maleficent gave her, the mischievous smile that settled on her lips. Dawn giggled, then tucked her wings against her sides, leaned her body backwards, and dropped like a stone back through the clouds towards the ground. She fell with such speed that the wind howled in her ears and stung her eyes, the ground racing to meet her faster than even she had thought possible. At the right moment, she snapped open her wings and leveled off, flying as fast as she could.</p><p>    Dawn flew above the water once again, doing flips and turns laughing as she did so. Maleficent followed her with a smile on her face. Dawn glanced at her from the corner of her eye and flapped her wings again, this time sprinkling some water on Maleficent. She didn’t stay to see her expression, instead, she laughed and flew upwards. Soon Dawn felt a splash of water hit her back and she turned around. Maleficent looked at her innocently cocking her eyebrow.</p><p>    Dawn shook her head and smiled before settling down to sit on a cliff’s edge high above the river. Her legs dangled over the edge as she smiled contently. She caught her breath as she felt Maleficent sit down next to her. She wrapped her arm around Dawn, letting her head rest on her shoulder.</p><p>    “That was fun,” Dawn panted.</p><p>    Maleficent smiled as she caught her breath as well. “Yes it was,”</p><p>    She smiled as she felt Dawn snuggle closer to her. Both of their heartbeats took some time to slow down. All of this excitement this early in the morning was not something the couple was used to.</p><p>    The pair heard rapid small wingbeats, and the calls of a raven. Maleficent exhaled sharply in exasperation as she and Dawn had to stand up. Diaval landed behind them, cawing at them animatedly. Maleficent sighed, and transformed Diaval into a human, not looking back towards him.</p><p>    “Mistress!” Diaval addressed Maleficent. “We... we have a bit of news,”</p><p>    “Well,” Maleficent said sharply as she turned to face him, “Get on with it,”</p><p>    Maleficent waited for him to explain, tapping her finger against her bicep impatiently as the silence was dragged out. He shifted uncomfortably as he hesitated to speak.</p><p>    “Well?” Dawn broke the silence.</p><p>    “It's nothing of any real consequence...” Diaval began to grow nervous. “...and it's certainly no reason to overreact. It's just that... Prince Philip has, um...”</p><p>    “Disappeared?” Maleficent asked hopefully.</p><p>    “No,” Diaval said. “No. Philip has-”</p><p>    “Yellow fever?” Maleficent guessed again. “No, wait! Leprosy!”</p><p>    “No, Mistress. Prince Philip has asked Aurora if she'll become his-”</p><p>    “Don't...” Maleficent said sharply, “...ruin my morning,”</p><p>    “Mistress, please. Stay calm!” Diaval urged. “Prince Philip and Aurora are engaged!” He finally got his words out.</p><p>    His words stopped Maleficent’s mood in its tracks, as an icy wave came over her heart. Her back stiffened, and she repressed the urge to scream at Diaval. Her gaze hardened as she turned Diaval back into a raven, and snapped her wings open. She dove off of the cliff with Dawn following close behind.</p><p>    “And we were having such a nice day...” Dawn murmured to herself as they went to find Aurora.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Ingrith</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Philip’s heart was all a flutter. She said yes! He couldn’t be any happier if he tried. He rode on his horse Samson, back to his home kingdom of Ulstead. As he rode, he wondered to himself how such a graceful creature like Aurora had fallen in love with a clumsy boy like himself, good with the sword and well acquainted with the court rules, but not even particularly brilliant when dealing with the landlords and their requests.</p><p>    As Philip approached the massive gates, they opened with a prolonged <em>creak </em>as he rode inside. He rode through the massive courtyard, littered with red flowers, green bushes and gorgeous stone water fountains. He soon dismounted his horse, handing the reigns to a servant outside, before almost running inside the castle. As he entered, someone announced his name, along with a loud trumpet fanfare. He didn’t think much of it, because that was always happened when someone of the royal family entered the palace.</p><p>    Philip walked into the room where he heard his parents were, pushing open the massive oaken doors. They stopped talking to each other, turning to face their son. They looked like they had been arguing over something.</p><p>    “Father, Mother,” He addressed his parents formally.</p><p>    “Well?” His Father, King John clasped his hands excitedly. “What did she say?”</p><p>    Philip couldn’t help the smile that spread onto his face. “She said yes!”</p><p>    “Yes!” King John exclaimed as he laughed joyously, “That is wonderful news! Oh! Two kingdoms united at last!”</p><p>    Philip turned to his mother, Queen Ingrith. He grew nervous as he met her gaze. He knew that she was wary of the Moors, and everyone in them.</p><p>    “Perhaps I've been selfish... looking at this the wrong way,” The Queen spoke softly. A small smile appeared on her features. “You've made your choice. Now is a time to celebrate!”</p><p>    Philip felt a small sigh of relief escape his lips. “I’m so glad you approve,” He addressed both of his parents.</p><p>    “Much more than that,” Ingrith smiled. “I am ready to welcome your fiancee with open arms,” She clasped her son’s shoulders. “She shall come to dinner,”</p><p>    “Yes! Yes, that would be wonderful!” Philip exclaimed. This was going better than he ever could have hoped for or imagined.</p><p>    “Under one condition,” The Queen’s mood suddenly changed. Her face grew serious as she spoke. “She will bring her godmother,”</p><p>    Philip’s personal guard, Percival, grew tense. “Your Majesty, I strongly suggest-”</p><p>    “We will meet the one who raised her right here in this castle,” Ingrith quickly interrupted the guard.</p><p>    “Yes, your mother is right,” King John said with a smile.</p><p>    Philip nodded. “Mother...” He added. “Would you like Maleficent’s wife to attend as well?”</p><p>    Everyone in the room but John grew tense. Everyone knew that Maleficent had married Dawn. Not only had she married a woman, which was in the human’s opinion very taboo and unusual, but she was married to <em>Dawn</em>. Dawn had earned the nickname “The Queen Killer” amongst the humans, because she had caused Queen Leila’s death all those years ago. Having two dangerous magical creatures in the kingdom was very worrying indeed.</p><p>    Ingrith seemed to force a small smile. “Of course, my son,” She assured him. “Dawn is welcome as well. After all, we will all soon be family,” Her voice grew louder as she spoke to Percival. “Well, let it be known throughout the kingdom... that my son is to marry Aurora,” She laughed joyously, before she added; “And that Maleficent and Dawn are coming to dinner,”</p><p>    “I shall send word straight away,” Percival said with a bow, before exiting the room.</p><p>    Philip began to grow nervous. Unlike everyone else in the kingdom, he had gotten to know Maleficent and Dawn quite well. Although Maleficent wasn’t particularly fond of him, he knew that she wasn’t pure evil like the others say. Although he knew that Dawn had caused Aurora’s mother’s death, he knew that Dawn didn’t mean to kill her. It was an accident. She didn’t deserve the title “The Queen Killer,” He sighed to himself. Hopefully this dinner his mother was arranging would go well.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Aurora wandered around next to a small pond. She was so joyful she didn’t know what to do with herself. She was finally getting married to Philip. She was wondering when he was going to ask her. About time.</p><p>    A sudden breeze blew down from the south towards her, carrying with it a peculiar scent. The scent of jasmine. The human girl froze on the spot as Maleficent and Dawn landed on the ground.</p><p>    “Well, well,” Maleficent said as she strode over to the human girl.</p><p>    “Godmothers...” Aurora began, “Philip asked me to marry him,”</p><p>    “Poor thing,” Maleficent said, assuming Aurora’s answer was ‘no’. “He'll recover,”</p><p>    Aurora rolled her eyes. “My answer was yes,”</p><p>    Maleficent seemed to think for a moment. “No,”</p><p>    “Yes,” Aurora insisted.</p><p>    “No,”</p><p>    “I wasn’t really asking,” Aurora almost snapped at her.</p><p>    “Nor was I...”</p><p>    Aurora huffed. “What’s next? Are you going to turn him into a goat?”</p><p>    “Hmmm,” Maleficent raised her eyebrows in thought, as if she was actually considering the idea.</p><p>    “Why don't you like Philip?”</p><p>    “He’s human,” Maleficent put it simply.</p><p>    “I’m human too,” Aurora objected. “Please. Just give him a chance,”</p><p>    “Love doesn’t always end well, Beastie,” Maleficent said sadly.</p><p>    “Ahem!” Dawn cleared her throat. She held her hands out to the side, as if to say, <em>‘I’m still here!’</em></p><p>    Maleficent, realizing what she said, placed a hand on her wife’s shoulder. “Not you, dearest,” This earned a small smile from Dawn. She turned back to Aurora. “I don’t want you to get hurt the way I did once,”</p><p>    “Philip is different,” Aurora insisted. “He won’t hurt me, I promise,”</p><p>    Maleficent looked unsure. She felt Dawn give her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. She placed her pale hand on top of her dark one, rubbing her thumb over her knuckles.</p><p>    “Let us prove you wrong,” Aurora continued. “Tonight...”</p><p>    “What about tonight?” Dawn asked.</p><p>    Aurora took in a breath, “The king and queen are celebrating tonight... and they have invited all three of us to the castle,”</p><p>    Maleficent felt shock douse her body like ice cold water. She tensed under Dawn’s hand. “You... want us to meet his parents?”</p><p>    “It's just a dinner,” Aurora assured her.</p><p>    Dawn felt herself scoff. “Even if that is so... they don't want us in Ulstead. No one does. I know that much,”</p><p>    “Why on earth would we go?” Maleficent asked.</p><p>    “Because his mother wishes to meet both of mine,”</p><p>    Dawn felt a little of her doubt go away at this statement.</p><p>    “Please,” Aurora pleaded them.</p><p>    Maleficent looked to the ground, uncertainty swimming around in her eyes. She felt Dawn’s hands take hers. She looked up into her scarlet and pale orbs.</p><p>    “Mal...” She began. “I think that... maybe we should go,”</p><p>    Maleficent still looked unsure. Dawn cupped her face, gently turning her head to face her. “After all... they will be family soon enough,”</p><p>    Maleficent took in a deep breath, before turning towards Aurora.</p><p>    “Alright,”</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Veil</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    The dinner was in a half an hour. Maleficent had been practicing what to say to the King and Queen, looking at her reflection in the water. Diaval has been trying to help her, but she just grew more annoyed. She felt relief when she heard Dawn walking up to her.</p><p>    It was as if heaven itself had delivered her. Dawn wore a long dress, mainly in dark red and fading to white at the edges. She had short sleeves, which showed off her shoulders and strong biceps. The neckline swooped downwards in a v-shape, showing off her collarbone.</p><p>    Her horns were decorated with two strands of small white beads, which wrapped around the horns loosely. Her hair was tied in a loose braid, hanging over her left shoulder. Little curls sprung out of the otherwise flawless hairstyle. Her lips were painted a stunning red, making her smile much brighter than it already was.</p><p>    Dawn stood there beaming, a vision of beauty and loveliness, her scarlet eyes blended into the red she was adorned in. Under her gaze, Maleficent felt something tighten inside of her chest, something that made her veins burn, her stomach freeze, her insides flutter and her heart ache. She couldn't help the breathless smile that curved onto her lips, she couldn't help it.</p><p>    “You look beautiful,” Maleficent breathed.</p><p>    Dawn blushed. “Thank you. So do you,” She straightened out her dress. “Do you think I overdid it?”</p><p>    “No, not at all,” Maleficent beamed.</p><p>    Dawn smiled as she tucked in a baby hair, getting it out of her face. It was then Aurora walked up to the Fae, nearly bouncing up and down as her face beamed.</p><p>    “I have something for the both of you,” She said, her hands behind her back.</p><p>    “For us?” Dawn asked. “You shouldn’t have,”</p><p>    Both of the Fae’s faces fell when Aurora held out her hands. In her left, was a piece of thin black fabric, and in her right, a long piece of thin red fabric.</p><p>    “For your horns,” Aurora explained. “I just thought it might make Philip's family feel more comfortable,”</p><p>    Dawn felt immensely disheartened by the human’s words. Aurora’s excitement was destroyed by something inside her crashing and dying as she looked upon the faces of her beloved godmothers, and a seed of doubt tore at her insides.</p><p>    “Maybe it's a bad idea...” She mumbled as she put the fabrics away in shame.</p><p>    “No, it's...” Maleficent hesitated. “It's all right...”</p><p>    Maleficent gently took the black fabric from the human’s hand. Dawn looked at her wife in disbelief. A look of disbelief, hurt, and anger burned in her expressive eyes, clearly baffled as to why she would agree to this. She sighed, and gently took the red fabric from Aurora’s other hand.</p><p>    Aurora, seemingly relieved that it went so well, became excited once again. “I'm so excited!”</p><p>    “Mmm... It's more than I can bear,” Maleficent forced a smile, trying her best not to disappoint Aurora.</p><p>    Dawn looked at the fabric in her hands. She watched as Maleficent put the black fabric on her head. The fabric lay on her head, covering her horns as it swayed lazily in the wind.</p><p>    Dawn was about to put hers on, but she stopped. Hers was different from Maleficent’s. When she put in on, she figured out why it was different. Not only did it cover her horns, but there was another piece thin red fabric attached to the other one, which also covered her face as well.</p><p>    Although she could still see through the veil, Dawn felt more hurt than she had before. Not only were her horns to be covered, but her face as well. She knew exactly why this was so. It was her scar. The deep, jagged scar that blinded her right eye would make Philip’s parents ‘uncomfortable’ as well.</p><p>    <em>‘Makes me wonder why she didn’t make us hide our wings as well,’</em> Dawn thought to herself bitterly,</p><p>    She was looking forward to this dinner, but now she was starting to have second thoughts.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Tension Rises</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    A bridge made out of thick vines and roots stretched itself over the river, acting as a bridge for the four guests. Maleficent, Dawn, Aurora and Diaval walked across the bridge. As Aurora and Diaval walked in the front, Maleficent and Dawn walked behind them, their arms locked. Dawn felt annoyed when the wind made the thin, almost transparent, red veil tickle her face as it blew in the breeze.</p><p>    As the vines and roots connected to the other side, the villagers and townsfolk immediately began to scream in terror.</p><p>    “It’s Maleficent!” Many of them cried.</p><p>    “The Queen Killer!”</p><p>    Dawn rolled her eyes at her ‘nickname’. Many of the people carried torches and pitchforks. Dawn almost laughed to herself. They acted brave and tough until the ‘threat’ was actually in front of them.</p><p>    “Pitchforks. Humans are hilarious,” Maleficent amused as she, Aurora, Dawn, and Diaval walked over the water and stepped on the land.</p><p>    Maleficent slightly tilted her head towards a small group of people as they walked past the villagers. Dawn chuckled to herself as children ran away screaming. She sent a reassuring smile to Maleficent next to her and nodded.</p><p>    “I know it seems like they don’t like you,” Dawn began, “But it’s going to go great. You’ll see,” She offered and squeezed her hand. Her wife smiled slightly and nodded back.</p><p>    As two terrified guards escorted them to the castle, Diaval’s eyes landed on a stone water fountain, with a statue of a huge bear. His eyes lit up.</p><p>    “Why don’t you ever turn me into a bear, Mistress?” He asked, not looking away from the bear statue as they walked past. “I think I'd make quite an impressive one. Look at their claws. They're so strong,”</p><p>    “Why are we talking about bears?” Maleficent shut the topic down.</p><p>    After that, no one said a word as they made their way across the courtyard and to the castle. Aurora felt her excitement build with every step she took, she was positively giddy like a child. But Dawn and Maleficent felt dread and fear as the shadow of the castle loomed over them.</p><p>    Dawn’s heartbeat grew louder with every step. All of the sound off the world was drowned out. She barely even noticed where they were.  She was simply an empty shell as her body moved on autopilot. It wasn’t until someone announced Aurora’s name, when she snapped out of her thoughts.</p><p>    “Presenting Queen Aurora of the Moors,” Someone from the other side of the doors announced.</p><p>    A small trumpet fanfare played as the doors opened, and Aurora stepped out. The doors closed behind her, shutting off the Fae’s view. The trio waited nervously as they heard faint chatter from the other end of the door. After a long silence, Dawn spoke.</p><p>    “Do you want me to do the talking?” Dawn suggested.</p><p>    “Oh my God, yes,” Maleficent let out a sigh of relief as her body visibly relaxed. “Please do,”</p><p>    A loud voice was heard at the other end of the door. “Presenting... Maleficent and Dawn,”</p><p>    Dawn hooked her arm with Maleficent’s as the doors in front of them swung open. The room fell silent as the pair walked into the room, with Diaval behind them. The only sound heard, was the clicking of the Fae’s boots, and the swish of their wings and dresses sweeping against the floor. Dawn turned her head to the right towards the terrified servants. The plates they held in their hands clattered as they quivered in fear.</p><p>    “Maleficent, Dawn,” Philip smiled, breaking the tense atmosphere that was created. “It's wonderful to see you two again,”</p><p>    King John and Queen Ingrith turned to face the two Fae. John’s face brightened as he smiled at the couple.</p><p>    “Welcome to our home!” He exclaimed happily.</p><p>    As promised, Dawn did the formal talking. “Your Majesty,” Dawn bowed her head respectably, and Maleficent followed in suit. “I would like to thank you for inviting us this evening,”</p><p>    “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Dawn,” John said respectably.</p><p>    “I would like to introduce you to Diaval,” Dawn stepped aside to let Diaval step forward.</p><p>    He bowed his head. “Your Majesty,”</p><p>    The Queen’s cat hissed at Diaval, swiping at his ankles. The bird-turned-man almost stumbled backwards.</p><p>    “I trust you had no trouble finding the castle,” John smiled.</p><p>    “Why would we have trouble?” Maleficent asked. No one had expected her to take what the King said seriously.</p><p>    “He’s trying to make small talk, dear,” Dawn muttered to her wife. She turned to the King with a smile on her face. “No. No trouble at all,”</p><p>    Dawn looked at Queen Ingrith, who was strangely quiet every since the Fae couple had arrived. When she met Dawn’s gaze, there was an emotion in her blue eyes that Dawn didn’t recognize. As soon as the strange emotion was there, it was gone. The Queen put a smile on her face.</p><p>    “We’re happy that you could make it. Make yourself at home,”</p><p>    “Your Majesties,” Gerda interrupted. “Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served,”</p><p>    All of them sat down at a long banquet table. Servants pulled the chairs from behind them, as as they sat down, pushed the chairs in. The servants all simultaneously snapped napkins in front of them, making Dawn jump. They placed the napkins in their laps, and then promptly walked off. Maleficent, Dawn, Diaval and Aurora sat on one side, and across from them, were King John, Queen Ingrith, Philip, and one of Philip’s top guards.</p><p>    As dinner was served in front of them, Diaval recoiled slightly. On their plates, were small cooked birds. He felt like he was going to throw up, but he kept his composure.</p><p>    Maleficent and Dawn looked at their silverware, and hesitated.</p><p>    “What’s the matter?” Ingrith asked.</p><p>    “It’s iron,” Dawn said uneasily. Memories of the battle in Stefan’s castle resurfaced. She cringed as the scars on her legs and wrists began to itch. She scratched her wrists, where the small dot-shaped scars encircled it.</p><p>    “Majesty,” Aurora began to explain. “As the King is sensitive to flowers, they are averse to iron,”</p><p>    “I had no idea,” Ingrith said. “Take them away at once!”</p><p>    Servants immediately took their forks, knives, and spoons away, leaving them with nothing.</p><p>    “I apologize,” Ingrith said. “I trust that you’ll be comfortable eating with your hands, then,”</p><p>    Dawn couldn’t tell if the Queen was apologizing, or secretly insulting them. While she was contemplating this, Philip tried to make some small talk.</p><p>    “Such lovely weather today, isn’t it?” The young prince asked to no one in particular.</p><p>    “Yes, indeed,” John said.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes shifted to the right, her eyes falling on Ingrith. Her blue eyes were locked onto Dawn. The Fae couldn’t tell what emotion was in her eyes now. Longing, confusion, anger, yearning, desire, and hate. Dawn could see all of them at once, and she had not the slightest idea why. She grew uncomfortable under her blue gaze, but she sat still, remaining her composure, and even straightening out her back and sitting taller in her seat.</p><p>    After a moment of awkward silence, Ingrith spoke up. “Tell me, Lady Dawn... where are you from? Have you got any family?”</p><p>    Ingrith’s cat hissed at Diaval from under the table, who tried to shoo it away with his boot.</p><p>    “Well, me and my father lived together in our nest for the first ten years of my life,” Dawn answered.</p><p>    “And your mother?” Ingrith raised an eyebrow.</p><p>    “She died,” Dawn said plainly.</p><p>    “Oh, I’m sorry,” King John said worriedly.</p><p>    “No, it’s alright Your Majesty,” Dawn assured him. “I’ve never met her, and it has never bothered me. I was perfectly content with my father,”</p><p>    “And where is your father?” Ingrith asked.</p><p>    “He...” Dawn swallowed. “Partially drowned in a river. I pulled him out, and he died in my arms,”</p><p>    King John grew sorry for the Fae in front of him. “How old were you when this happened?”</p><p>    Dawn almost hesitated. “I was ten years old, Your Majesty,”</p><p>    “Oh, that’s terrible,” John’s voice was full of distress. “And for you to be so young as well?”</p><p>    “Yes,” Dawn agreed. “But Maleficent found me, and welcomed me into the Moors. I’ve lived there ever since,”</p><p>    After a moment of silence, Ingrith spoke. “What was your father’s name?”</p><p>    “His name was Cecil,”</p><p>    In that moment, another emotion flashed in Ingrith’s blue eyes. Whether it was one emotion or many, Dawn could not tell. She was so blank and stiff that it could've been any of them. The emotion disappeared as Ingrith smiled again.</p><p>    “Well, we have a small gift for Philip and Aurora... to celebrate their glorious future together. Hmm?”</p><p>    The moment after she finished her sentence, servants opened the doors, and wheeled something in. Maleficent’s heart dropped when she saw what it was. A baby carriage, with many intricate designs carved into the wood.</p><p>    “What’s this?” Maleficent asked.</p><p>    “Oh, I simply can't wait to have a little one running through the castle again,” Ingrith continued.</p><p>    “This castle?” Maleficent asked.</p><p>    “Yes, of course. This will be their home,”</p><p>    King John, sensing the tension that was rising, spoke up. “I hear Aurora has a castle of her own,”</p><p>    “Yes, sir, I do,”</p><p>    “Yes...” Ingrith spoke. “I'm curious. How did Aurora become Queen of the Moors?”</p><p>    Maleficent rose her head a little higher. “I made her Queen,”</p><p>    “Her castle is quite stunning,” Philip said. “You must see it,”</p><p>    “Yes, but in fact, she has another castle. Does she not?”</p><p>    “Mother...” Philip tried to get her to drop the subject, but to no avail.</p><p>    “One in the Moors, and one left behind by her father. King Stefan, was it not?”</p><p>    “That castle was never my home,” Aurora said bitterly. “It was given to the people,”</p><p>    “So, you're also a true princess,” Ingrith said. “Even though Stefan died. Was killed?” She looked straight at Maleficent as she spoke. “Remind me, did he die or was he killed?”</p><p>    “She was defending herself,” Dawn spoke in her wife’s defense. She restrained herself from raising her voice.</p><p>    “As we all have a right to," Philip added quickly as he motioned to his servant to refill his cup. "Best not to dwell on the past,”</p><p>    Philip’s attempt to cut the rising tension failed as his mother continued to speak. “I remember the story of a baby. A baby cursed to sleep... and never wake up,”</p><p>    “Really?” King John asked in disbelief. “Who would do such a terrible thing to an innocent child?”</p><p>    Ingrith nodded. “I also heard that the baby’s mother was struck with a dark spell, and was forced to die slowly for 16 years,”</p><p>    King John looked horrified at his wife’s words.</p><p>    Dawn began to grow angry, but she kept her composure.</p><p>    Ingrith’s cat hissed at Diaval again, who hissed back.</p><p>    “Well, there are many who prey on the innocent,” Maleficent’s voice was beginning to form a certain edge to it. “I'm sure your kind would agree,”</p><p>    “What do you mean, ‘my kind?’”</p><p>    “She means humans,” Ingrith informed her husband.</p><p>    “There are fairies missing from the Moors,” Maleficent cut to the chase. “Stolen by human poachers,”</p><p>    “That's the first I've heard of it,” John said innocently.</p><p>    “Someone gave the order...”</p><p>    “It sounds as if you're accusing the King,” Ingrith said testily.</p><p>    “She never said that,” Dawn’s voice rose slightly. “She only asks you to do something about it. Find out who it is, perhaps,”</p><p>    “The borders are open, but humans are not welcome. Isn't that right?” Ingrith almost mocked.</p><p>    “What exactly are you implying?” Dawn asked testily. She looked like she was about to explode or make something else explode.</p><p>    Aurora nervously clung to the napkin in her lap as she watched everyone’s rising tempers.</p><p>    “Innocent men are being slaughtered on the Moors... and they’re talking about fairies,” Ingrith scoffed.</p><p>    “Innocent fairies are being slaughtered as well,” Dawn tested. She spoke through clenched teeth. “Best you watch your tongue,”</p><p>    It was then, Ingrith’s cat sailed straight towards Diaval’s head. Maleficent flung her hand to the side, catching the cat in midair with her green magic.</p><p>    “Contain your animal!” She almost commanded. “Or I will,”</p><p>    “If I didn’t know any better,” Ingrith’s voice almost quivered. “I would say that you’re making a threat,”</p><p>    “Well do you?”</p><p>    “Do I what?”</p><p>    “Know better,”</p><p>    With a wave of her hand, Maleficent dropped the cat to the ground. It whined as it scampered away, its tail in between its legs.</p><p>    “We're here to celebrate,” John said.</p><p>    “Forgive me, he's right,” Ingrith said as she straightened out her dress. “Let's not forget why we're here,” She raised her goblet. “The start of a new life for Aurora. Cheers,”</p><p>    Aurora and Philip raised their glasses. “Cheers,”</p><p>    “You have done an admirable job, Maleficent and Dawn...” Ingrith said. “Going against your nature to raise this child. But now Aurora will finally get the love of a real family,”</p><p>    Dawn felt anger begin to rise up inside of her.</p><p>    “A real mother,” Ingrith continued. “Because the one thing I regret... is never having a daughter of my own. But tonight changes that,”</p><p>    “Mother, I believe we should-” Philip tried to politely change the subject. His voice, however, was completely drowned by Ingrith’s, whose words were spilling of mockery.</p><p>    “Tonight, I consider Aurora my own,”</p><p>    “Maleficent,” Dawn managed to breathe under her breath before the latter stood up, wings spread wide behind her. Dawn felt Aurora grip her hand, as the waves of green magic almost knocked them down.</p><p>    “There is no union, there will be no wedding!” The Fae announced and knocked down every guard who tried to get to them.</p><p>    Dawn quickly stood up, knocking her chair onto the ground. She grabbed a guard that got too close to Maleficent by the neck. She tossed him to the side, sending him across the room with amazing physical strength.</p><p>    “We go home, now,” Maleficent almost demanded Aurora go with her.</p><p>    Dawn turned around and saw the Queen quiver and take cover from behind the King.</p><p>    “What did she do to me?” The King gasped as he tried to take a hold of the chair by his side. Philip kneeled by him as he closed his eyes and went limp. Ingrith’s mouth opened and she went over to them, kneeling over his body. Fear riddled her face as she tried to find a pulse, fortunately finding one.</p><p>    “John!” Ingrith cried. “It's a curse. It's a curse! Maleficent has cursed the King!”</p><p>    “What did you do?” Aurora gasped, tears sliding down her cheeks.</p><p>    “I’ve done nothing,” Maleficent said. Dawn glanced up at Maleficent. Her expression was blank, but she could see the Fae’s almost pleading through her eyes. She didn’t do this, Dawn saw it immediately.</p><p>    “Aurora, we go home now,” She demanded again.</p><p>    The human girl began to back away towards the fallen King.</p><p>    “Aurora!” Maleficent shouted.</p><p>    “Wake him!” Aurora pleaded. “Wake him, please!”</p><p>    Ingrith looked at Dawn, anger burning in her eyes. She lunged at the Fae, a scream of fury escaping her lips. Dawn didn’t even look her way as she grabbed the Queen by the nape of her dress, catching her midair. Ingrith gasped in surprise and fear as her feet struggled to touch the ground.</p><p>    “Watch your step!” Dawn snapped her head towards the frightened Queen with a hiss. “Or else you will find out why I’m called The Queen Killer,”</p><p>    Even through the red veil, Ingrith could see the anger burning in Dawn’s expressive scarlet eyes. And in the darkness, she could have sworn she saw Dawn’s remaining eye glow a dim red, and thin red smoke curling from the corner of her eye.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes softened when she realized what she had done. She slowly lowered the Queen to the ground. Dawn straightened out Ingrith’s crown she had made crooked, trying to make some sort of amends, no matter how small.</p><p>    As Dawn lowered her hand from the crown, she briefly touched Ingrith’s face with her pinkie finger on accident. Ingrith gasped, snapping her face up to the Fae’s, surprised by the accidental touch. When she looked up, their faces were only separated by a centimeter of space. Ingrith’s breath caught in her throat, and she suddenly didn't know what she was doing or what to make of it.</p><p>    A crash of a window was heard, and Dawn ducked out of the way, knowing that there would be shards of glass flying everywhere. Glass flew everywhere, and Dawn instinctively grabbed the Queen in front of her around the middle, knocking her to the ground as she protected her with her body. Ingrith gasped in surprise as Dawn landed on top of her, protecting her from the sharp shards of glass.</p><p>    Dawn looked upwards, standing up as she did so. It was then when Ingrith realized that she had been gripping Dawn’s shoulders. As Dawn left her, Ingrith still lay on the ground, eyes wide, her chest heaving up and down as she struggled to comprehend what happened.</p><p>    Dawn looked at the broken window in front of her. Maleficent had flown out of the window, crashing through it, and leaving shards of glass everywhere on the ground. She had turned Diaval back into a raven, who had flown out of the window with her.</p><p>    Without a second thought, Dawn flapped her wings, and lifted herself off of the ground. The thrum as she flapped her wings, sent a slight breeze onto Ingrith’s face, carrying a natural scent like that of fresh-water and jasmine. The smell of jasmine would forever haunt her.</p><p>    Dawn launched herself through the broken window. Through the darkness of night, she could see Maleficent’s hazy figure on the horizon. She pumped her wings faster and faster, getting closer and closer to her wife.</p><p>    “Mal!” She called, reaching her hand out towards the Fae.</p><p>    Maleficent slowed down her wing beats, and looked at Dawn over her shoulder. Suddenly, Dawn heard something whistle. She looked to her right, and saw a small glimmer of metal flying past her. It sped straight for Maleficent in the blink of an eye.</p><p>
  <em>    Thunk!</em>
</p><p>    The metal pierced Maleficent’s side. She released a scream of agony before clutching her side. Green mist spilled out of the wound, along with dark blood. She heard Dawn yell anxiously when she noticed what had happened, and Maleficent screamed as she fell, seemingly unable to get her wings to work and catch the air to save her. Her staff from fell her hand, turning back into a small twig as it plummeted towards the ground.</p><p>    From afar, Diaval turned back into a human in a puff of black smoke, Maleficent’s magic wearing off of him. He screamed as he fell in a great heap towards the ground.</p><p>    Maleficent plummeted towards the water below, creating a huge splash in the water.</p><p>    Suddenly, another whistle was heard. Dawn looked behind her, and almost in slow motion, she saw a small metal ball hurdling towards her. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was.</p><p>    Iron.</p><p>    In a desperate attempt, Dawn stuck her hands out in front of her. She felt a familiar heat flow through her body. It traveled from her shoulders, and then to her hands. With a scream, a huge and sudden shock wave of red energy shook the sky. The energy destroyed the iron ball in midair. The explosion was so great, that for a moment, it looked like the night was day. Dawn felt a wave of exhaustion take over her. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fell in a great heap towards the water.</p><p>    Gerda stood in a tall tower in the castle, a crossbow in her hands, and small iron balls in her pocket. She watched in horror as she felt the the heat of the red energy on her face. She had to shield her eyes with her hand as to not be blinded by the great light. She watched as the Fae fell downwards, over the falls.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes slowly opened, and her head was fuzzy. Her eyes widened in shock when she felt herself going into a free fall. In front of her, was the great waterfall rushing downwards. She fell with such speed that the wind howled in her ears and stung her eyes, the water below racing to meet her faster than even she had thought possible.</p><p>    She snapped her wings open, the mist of the water spraying on her face as she did so. She looked over her shoulder, and back at the sky. What happened back there? She shook the thought from her mind. She needed to find Maleficent. She flew above the river, scanning the dark waters with her scarlet eyes, desperate to find her wife.</p><p>    She then saw a blotch upon the sky, which quickly came into focus as it drew closer, the blob forming appendages that struck the air in a rhythmic beat. A mass swooped low, so quickly that Dawn didn't have time to catch it. It darted downwards into the water with a large splash.</p><p>    Dawn flew towards the splash, curious as to what it was. After a few moments, a huge splash of water exploded outwards right in front of Dawn, making her jump back in surprise. Huge wings flapped as it carried a mass into the sky. It took Dawn a moment to realize that the mass was Maleficent. Who was carrying her?</p><p>    Her eyes focused in the dark, and she saw who it was. She gasped as she almost lost her flight pattern.</p><p>    “Conall?”</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Desires</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Queen Ingrith walked along the walkway high above her iron workers. Her large shadow was made bigger by the hellish orange light of the forges below her. Her eyes burned with rage as she clenched her fists. She was furious that Gerda had failed to kill Maleficent and Dawn. She felt her insides hum as her anxiety began to grow as she thought of what Gerda had described to her. A flash of bright red light to hot that it burned Gerda’s face even from a mile away.</p><p>    To make matters worse, there was another creature. Another creature like Dawn and Maleficent. A wounded animal lashes out and now they’re not alone. They must prepare for war.</p><p>    Ingrith walked out of her secret room, and into her dressing room. The stark and sudden difference from dark to light would be almost startling to those who would see it for the first time. As the wall closed behind Ingrith, her insides began to hum again, and a strange feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.</p><p>    The Queen couldn’t describe the feeling deep inside. It all started at the beginning of the dinner, when Maleficent and Dawn walked in.</p><p>    When the Fae made their presence known, Ingrith’s gaze fell on Maleficent first. After all, she was the primary target. She was almost taken aback by how attractive she was, even she would have to admit.</p><p>    But when she looked at Dawn, something happened. When Dawn lifted her head regally, and walked forward towards the King and Prince, Ingrith felt something. Under her red gaze, the Queen felt something tighten inside of her chest, something that made her veins burn, her stomach freeze, her insides flutter and her heart ache. It was a terrible, yet wonderful feeling.</p><p>    The way the rainbow winged Fae held herself, with her wings lazily but gracefully outstretched behind her, and her colorful vibrant feathers shimmering in the candlelight. The only blemish to her, was her jagged scar on her eye. But somehow, Dawn had managed to make the scar look beautiful on her. If Ingrith didn’t know any better, she would have guessed that Dawn was royalty herself. Everything about her screamed perfection.</p><p>    The way that Dawn protected her, with her body pressing against hers... Ingrith fought the urge to bite her lip at the memory. She couldn’t get the scent of fresh water and jasmine out of her mind. It was almost as if Dawn was once a jasmine flower herself, and she still carried the scent of one. She couldn’t stop thinking about when Dawn flew away... how the thrum of her wings drove the scent of jasmine into her... it drove the Queen mad.</p><p>    Ingrith slammed the doors to her room inwards. As the great oaken doors shut behind her, she sat on the left side of her huge bed. She held her head in her hands, trying to drive these thoughts away from her mind. Her eyes unwillingly traveled towards her nightstand beside the bed. Upon it it, was a red vase.</p><p>    White jasmine flowers.</p><p>    Ingrith almost laughed to herself. Of course it would be jasmine. Every day, her servants changed the flowers in her red vase beside her bed while they cleaned the room, and today, it just happened to be jasmine. It almost seemed like fate, or irony.</p><p>    The Queen slowly reached her hand out towards the vase, and she delicately plucked a white flower from it. She held it in front of her, gazing at it until she inspected every detail. She slowly brought it up to her nose. After a moment of hesitation, she inhaled deeply. Her eyes became heavy lidded as the scent filled her.</p><p>    With the scent, the image of Dawn overtook Ingrith’s mind. Her dark skin. Her messy, but somehow perfect hair. Her strong, sharp jaw. Her gorgeous wings that lay gracefully upon her back. The scars on her face and wrists, which somehow made her even more beautiful. Her strong, muscular arms that were exposed all during dinner. Her strong collarbone. Her body.</p><p>    Ingrith held the flower close to her chest, and fell backwards onto the soft bed. A strong and pleasant feeling grew in the pit of her abdomen. She felt herself longing... <em>yearning</em> for the Fae she had just met. She wanted to feel her body pressed against hers once again, or even just a simple accidental touch to her face. A small smile crept onto her face as she closed her eyes, and sighed almost dreamily.</p><p>    Ingrith’s blue eyes snapped open as she sat upwards. She looked at the jasmine flower in her hands, and threw it across the room. She panted heavily as panic overtook her. She felt disgusted with herself. She couldn’t feel anything for one of the targets, especially since she had found out who Dawn’s father was.</p><p>    She pushed the strong thoughts from her mind with a huge mental shove, standing up as she did so. She put on the most stoic face she could muster, and pulled open the solid oak doors. She couldn’t stand to be in that room any longer. As she walked rather quickly down the hallway, she found a servant.</p><p>    “You there!” She said rather harshly as she pointed to the servant.</p><p>    “Your Majesty,” She bowed her head respectably.</p><p>    “Change the flowers in the red vase in my chambers,” Ingrith ordered.</p><p>    “Do you have a preference?”</p><p>    “I don’t care!” The Queen snapped. “Just change it!”</p><p>    The servant girl almost ran towards the direction of Ingrith’s chambers, frightened by her sudden outburst.</p><p>    The Queen almost stormed down the hallways aimlessly. She didn’t have anywhere she needed to be. As the sun set that day, Ingrith wandered the halls for hours. She battled with her thoughts, pushing away at any mental mention of Dawn.</p><p>    It was only when the moon was high, that she returned to her chambers. She pulled open the doors, almost afraid to see if the flowers have been changed. With a sigh of relief, she was pleased to discover that they were.</p><p>    Small marigolds filled the red vase, instead of the jasmine flower. Content, Ingrith changed into her nighttime wear, and crawled into bed. In the silence of the room that greeted her, Ingrith was suddenly reminded of how alone she was in this place.</p><p>    She refused to let even the first thought of Dawn come to her mind, knowing that once she did, she would never be able to stop the others.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Old Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Dawn and Conall flew side by side, with Maleficent limp in his arms. When they had seen each other near the castle, Conall was just as shocked to see Dawn as she was to him. In the nest, they were childhood friends. She remembered how the day before she learned to fly, Conall and Borra, who was also a friend, learned to fly on their own as well. She remembered being proud of them, but didn’t feel like she was ready to fly on her own quite yet. If it wasn’t for the encouraging words of her father, Cecil, she never would have done it.</p><p>    They flew in complete silence through the night, the mist covering their whereabouts from any onlookers on the ground that may be there.</p><p>    “Where have you been?”</p><p>    Dawn turned to Conall. “What?”</p><p>    Conall almost looked hurt as he spoke. “They said that you went outside, and you were caught in the storm. They said you were dead,”</p><p>    Dawn lowered her head in shame. “I was in the Moors,”</p><p>    She could hear Conall’s voice almost break. “What?” He shook his head in disbelief. “You were in the Moors this entire time?”</p><p>    Dawn nodded. She jutted her head towards Maleficent. “She’s my wife,”</p><p>    Conall looked down at the Fae in his arms. “How... How could I have not known this?”</p><p>    Dawn grew confused. “What do you mean?”</p><p>    “We send spies out every so often to see what new threats arise. Borra goes to the Moors more than any of us,”</p><p>    Dawn felt her heart stop. “Borra...” She stammered. “Borra was in the Moors?”</p><p>    Dawn felt frustrated with herself. One of her best friends from childhood was there in the Moors multiple times, and she didn’t even know it!</p><p>    Conall continued. “He found out about how Maleficent raised the human Aurora. That’s how we know about the power she possesses,” He looked at Dawn. “The power that you seem to possess as well,”</p><p>    Dawn held her head. “That is no longer so,”</p><p>    “I just saw you at the river,” Conall protested. “There was a red shockwave that almost burned me,”</p><p>    “That was an accident,” Dawn said defensively. “I can’t summon magic at my own will anymore!”</p><p>    “If what you did back there was an accident,” Conall said. “Then imagine what you could do if you could control it once again,”</p><p>    She seemed conflicted, thinking over his words as she tried to digest what he said. She looked at the wounded Maleficent in Conall’s arms.</p><p>    “Is she going to be alright?”</p><p>    A long silence stretched out between them Conall found himself staring at Dawn. She seemed so sad, so lost. The way she spoke of her wife, it was with a love that Conall couldn’t comprehend. He had never seen someone so in love before. He was almost baffled at how Dawn seemed to cling to Maleficent as if she were the only person to love her.</p><p>    Conall nodded his head slowly. “Yes... but she will need medical attention,”</p><p>    Dawn let out a small sigh of relief. “As long as she lives...”</p><p>    They flew for a while longer, the cool breeze flying past them. It was then, Dawn saw something in the distance. It wasn’t clear, but she could tell that it was huge. As she came closer, her eyes squinted to get a better view. When it became clear to her sight, her heart dropped to her stomach as she almost lost her flight pattern.</p><p>    The Cavernous Nest.</p><p>    They flew in through a tunnel. She flew behind Conall, her shoulder occasionally bumping on the walls of the tunnel. They flew out of the tunnel, and into a dark room, illuminated by a small stream of moonlight. The walls were made of thick roots intertwined together.</p><p>    “Conall, you’re back!”</p><p>    Turning slowly her head toward the sudden chatter noise that was starting to build, Dawn saw many horned figures walk into the room. Her eyes began to well up when she saw a familiar face.</p><p>    “Borra...” She breathed.</p><p>    The desert Fae’s head turned at the mention at his name. His face dropped in shock, and his mouth gaped.</p><p>    “Dawn...”</p><p>    A small smile curled onto his mouth as he choked out a laugh. Dawn did the same as the two ran to each other. They met in a fierce embrace.</p><p>    “I can’t believe it!” Borra choked out as he lowered his head to set his chin on Dawn’s shoulder. “You’re alive!”</p><p>    Dawn let a tear slip out of her remaining eye. “Yes...”</p><p>    The two parted from the hug, looking at each other with huge smiles on their faces. Borra’s face dropped as he looked at Dawn.</p><p>    “What happened to you?” He looked at her scar.</p><p>    “I was attacked with an iron blade many years ago,” Dawn explained.</p><p>    Borra grew angry at her words. “Those humans!” He fumed. “Those vile creatures!”</p><p>    “Borra...” Conall interrupted.</p><p>    Dawn saw Maleficent in his arms, and she rushed over, worried for her wife.</p><p>    “She needs medical attention now,” Conall said to Borra.</p><p>    “Is that...?” Borra breathed.</p><p>    Conall nodded. “Yes...”</p><p>    Three Fae, one tundra and two desert, came and gently took Maleficent out of Conall’s arms. Dawn followed the three Fae for a moment.</p><p>    “Make sure she’s okay,”</p><p>    “We will,” The female tundra Fae assured her. The trio flew upwards into a large tunnel, the tundra female carrying Maleficent. Dawn looked up into the tunnel.</p><p>    “Take care of her!” She shouted after them.</p><p>    She only heard her voice echoing in the tunnel, with no reply. Her wings sagged as she sighed. She turned to face the small crowd of Fae, who were whispering amongst themselves.</p><p>    “Dawn...” Conall said. “Where’s Cecil?”</p><p>    The jungle Fae felt her heart break slightly at the innocent question. “He...” She swallowed. “He died,”</p><p>    “What?” Borra was shocked. Cecil was almost like a second father to him. His father, Mandus, recently died as well. To hear that Cecil was gone as well... it was devastating.</p><p>    “May he Rest In Peace,” Conall comforted Dawn.</p><p>    Dawn nodded. She took in a deep breath as she straightened herself out.</p><p>    “Dawn...” Borra whispered. “You need to tell us everything that has happened since the last time we’ve seen you...”</p><p>    Dawn nodded her head. “Yes, Borra,”</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Warnings from the Fireplace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    A loud trumpet fanfare played as Gerda walked up the steps to a tall tower. Two huge megaphones were placed at the top. She undid the scroll she held, and she held it out on front of her as she read off of it.</p><p>    <em>“To all who live on the Moors,”</em> Her voice boomed and echoed throughout the kingdom and further. <em>“And kingdoms far and wide, the king and queen invite you... to attend the wedding... of their son Philip to Aurora in three days' time. All are welcome,”</em> She closed the scroll. <em>“And all are expected,”</em></p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Ingrith was in her workshop laboratory. She was simply staring at her workers from above, combing through every memory or thought that drifted through her mind for any form of inspiration, leading to her growing frustration at the lack thereof. Ever since she had met Dawn, she was in every corner of her mind. No matter how hard she tried to push the Fae out of her mind, the thoughts were always in her, no matter how small. She needed a way to get rid of her. She needed Dawn to die. It was a problem that continued to trouble her over the next few days, though she tried to keep her mind occupied with her royal duties, and her workshop.</p><p>    At the moment, Ingrith walked down the darkened hallway, the hellish orange light of the forges fading away. In front of her, was a small creature, about three and a half feet tall, sitting down at a desk tinkering with instruments and substances. There was serval jars of smaller fairies and other creatures.</p><p>    Ingrith stepped in front of the desk, trying to make her presence known, but the creature, Lickspittle was too busy to notice her.</p><p>    “Well?” The Queen snapped at him.</p><p>    Lickspittle gasped as he snapped his head upwards. “Your Majesty! You gave me quite a start,”</p><p>    Ingrith sighed exasperatedly. “This new project you’ve been working on... does it work?”</p><p>    “I only have a handful of fairy specimens to work with...” He gestured to the jars on his desk. “And the extraction process is painstaking,”</p><p>    Ingrith raised an eyebrow. “Extraction from what?”</p><p>    Lickspittle held up a rather large red and orange flower. “Tomb Bloom flowers. They grow from a fairy's grave, contain their very essence. When you mix the pollen with iron powder...” He gestured to the red dust in the bowl in front of him. “...the resulting dust ends a fairy's life. We will need thousands more,”</p><p>    “Show me,” Ingrith grew impatient. “Show me!”</p><p>    “Very well,” Lickspittle unscrewed a jar with a fairy inside. He grabbed it by the wings, lifting it out of the jar. The fairy closely resembled a white dandelion. The fairy squirmed in Lickspittle’s hand, whimpering as it did so. Lickspittle lowered the fairy down into the bowl of red dust. The fairy screamed and squirmed as it got closer and closer to the dust. As it was dropped in, it screamed as it was melted away. Ingrith watched the fairy die out in a flash, leaving nothing but a plume of red smoke to drift up towards the ceiling. She stared in wonder as she watched the smoke rise. In the bowl, the fairy was gone, and all that was left, was a normal white dandelion.</p><p>    Ingrith let out a shuddering breath of excitement. “Finally, the Moors will be mine,” She plucked the dandelion from the bowl. “No more fairies...” She crushed the dandelion in her hands.</p><p>    Ingrith ordered her soldiers to gather more Tomb Bloom flowers. At the moment, they were readying the soldiers to go to the Moors. Ingrith walked throughout the hallways of her workshop. It was empty, for they were going with the soldiers to gather Tomb Blooms as well.</p><p>    She walked past the huge fireplace, the small fire flickering as it died.</p><p>    <em>“Ingrith...”</em></p><p>The Queen stopped walking, freezing in her tracks. She whipped her head around frantically, looking for the person who spoke.</p><p>    <em>“Ingrith...”</em></p><p>She looked around, fear growing in her. “Who said that?” She demanded to know. “Who’s there?”</p><p>    <em>“Why would you want this?”</em></p><p>Ingrith felt the heat of flames growing behind her, and soft wind made her hair blow past her. She turned around to see that the small fire in the fireplace behind her was growing at an alarming rate. A gush of fire forced Ingrith to shield her eyes from the blinding light.</p><p>    As she looked at the fire again, her eyes widened. In the fire, there was an image of two large folded burning wings. The burning wings opened up, and it revealed the burning image of Dawn. Her entire body was made of pure flames, and her hair rose up behind her, and flickered in the wind like the fire it was. She opened her eyes and made direct eye contact with the Queen. One of her eyes was completely scarlet with red flames licking at the ceiling. Her other eye was a scorching white, with a flaming bright yellow scar over it.</p><p>    Ingrith stood there, frozen in fear at the flaming Fae in front of her. Dawn outstretched her arms made of flame as she stepped forward.</p><p>    <em>“Why would you want this?” </em>She asked once again.</p><p>    Ingrith found her voice. “What are you talking about?”</p><p>    Dawn’s flaming eyes brightened as she stepped out of the fireplace gracefully. <em>“Why would you want to kill me?” </em>Her burning face was mere inches from the Queen’s, but to her surprise, it did not burn. It felt warm, like there was a real person there with her. Dawn’s flaming hand caressed Ingrith’s jawline. She let out a shuddering breath as the flaming Fae brought her face closer to hers. <em>“I thought you wanted me...”</em></p><p>“I...” She closed her eyes, letting out a shuddering breath as she felt Dawn move behind her. Her flaming hands rested on her hips as her chest pressed against the Queen’s back. Ingrith slowly reached her left hand up, and caressed Dawn’s neck. Ingrith wanted to turn her head, to give herself what she longed for in all the world: just one kiss, just one! Her eyes became heavy lidded as she slowly lifted her head up as Dawn lowered hers. Their lips hovered over each other’s. Ingrith could feel the faint, but warm fire-like breath that warmed her skin.</p><p>    Ingrith’s eyes snapped open as she realized what she was doing. She broke the trance she was in as she pulled away rather quickly, almost tripping over her dress as she got as far away from the flaming image of Dawn as she possibly could. She ignored the way her veins roared and a rush of disappointment vented through her for a split second as Dawn’s touch retreated from her.</p><p>    “No!” Ingrith pointed at Dawn. “You are the enemy!” Her eyes hardened as she forced the next few words out of her mouth. “You... you have to die!”</p><p>    Dawn’s burning eyes remained emotionless as she watched the Queen, the flames from her body licking at the ceiling.</p><p>    Ingrith grabbed a bucket of water off of a wooden table she was near.</p><p>    “Be gone!” The scream ripped through her vocal chords as she thrust the bucket forward, releasing the water onto the flaming Fae. The water hit the fire, making it hiss and crack as sparks showered out. All light seemed to extinguish from the room, even the fire seemed to dim in comparison. Dawn’s flaming image slowly turned into one of white smoke, glowing as if with its own inner light.</p><p>    Ingrith grew fearful. She tried to push past it. “I don’t want you!” She denied the truth. “When I am done with you, you will be naught but ash and dust!”</p><p>    Dawn pointed her finger at Ingrith, now made of glowing white smoke. Red and white smoke curled from her eyes as she spoke. <em>“Your words are empty as they are untrue,” </em>Dawn’s eyes were more prominent than ever as her voice echoed. <em>“If you continue down your current path...” </em>She spoke in a voice that seemed far away, but rich with power that seemed otherworldly. The white smoke swirled around her. <em>“You will be defeated by The Great Phoenix,”</em></p><p>At her words, the smoke suddenly changed, the image of Dawn transforming into something else. A form of a great horned black bird appeared, The Phoenix, fanning its wings out majestically. The faint but powerful call of The Phoenix rang in the back of Ingrith’s mind. A crash of thunder resounded throughout the room.</p><p>    Ingrith almost let out a scream of fear as she slammed her eyes shut. She ran out of the laboratory. She slammed the door closed to her laboratory, pressing herself against the door as she tried to regain her breath. Every nerve, muscle and bone in her body had gone suddenly rigid, she couldn't even think properly, there were far too many thoughts running through her head to concentrate on a specific one.</p><p>    She slumped to the ground, her back still pressed against the door behind her. She panted as her heart rate slowed down. She leaned her head back onto the door. Someone was to stop her. <em>The Great Phoenix...</em> Such a threat to her plans utterly infuriated Ingrith, that someone would come and try to ruin everything she was about to accomplish! She couldn't have it! This unknown threat was a great risk to her... she couldn't allow that! But The Great Phoenix... what could that mean? Ingrith wracked her brain trying to think around what the answer could mean. Great Phoenix... Great Phoenix... Great...</p><p>    Her head began to hurt as she thought about it. She cut her thoughts short as she shook her head. She sighed as she leaned her head back against the door once again. The thought of The Great Phoenix slipped away from her mind, and were soon replaced with another.</p><p>    Dawn...</p><p>    Ingrith nearly growled as she pushed away any thought of the Fae in her fireplace. She was the enemy! She is going to die! As she thought this, Dawn’s words haunted the edges of her mind.</p><p>    <em>“Why would you want to kill me? I thought you wanted me...”</em></p><p>    The words seemed to unlock something within the Queen, and a sort of sadness blossomed visibly in the hues of her eyes before they were devoured by a desirous form of realization. She remembered Dawn’s smoldering eyes, how they scorched her very soul. Her focus darted away for an instant, as though ashamed of a sudden thought. The conflict on her face deepened, and she began to realize that the controlled side of her was losing the inner battle.</p><p>    “Yes...” She answered Dawn’s words with a whisper that only she could hear. She felt a surge of guilt at her words, but also relief. She felt regret, because they were true. “Yes I do...”</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    All of the leaders of the Dark Fae met in the council room. There was Borra, leader of the Desert Fae. Conall, leader of the Forest Fae. Udo, leader of the Tundra Fae. Deshta, leader of the Jungle Fae. When Dawn had lived here, they all lived under one ruler, Helam. But when Dawn was gone, they overthrew Helam, and split the government four ways, for four leaders. They made up the Court of the Dark Fae.</p><p>    “If Conall hadn't found her, she would be dead,” Borra proclaimed to the crowd. “They tried to kill her with this,” He held out a small iron ball, the metal burning his fingers, making it hiss. “Do you hear it? Do you hear it? It's a message from the humans. I hear it loud and clear. Time for us to die,”</p><p>    “Humans have used iron against us for centuries,” Conall spoke.</p><p>    “And we are almost extinct because of it!” Borra’s voice rose in anger.</p><p>    “Killing peasants in the Moors will only lead to more conflict, Borra,” Conall spoke again.</p><p>    “They've pulled the iron from the earth...” Borra said. “...made their swords and shields, drove us underground. But this...” He held the ball out in front of him. “This will finish us,”</p><p>    “Our people are safe here for now,” Conall reassured the crowd.</p><p>    “But for how long?” Udo asked.</p><p>    “The humans will find us,” Borra said, “They will not stop. I call for war,”</p><p>    Almost all of the Fae in the crowd grunted in agreement.</p><p>    “No!” Dawn blurted out. All eyes were drawn to her now. “War should always be a last resort,”</p><p>    Conall nodded in agreement. “There are too many humans. Too many kingdoms,”</p><p>    “Conall,” Deshta, the leader of the Jungle Fae said as she stepped forward. “They will keep finding new ways to destroy us!”</p><p>    “We can't win, Deshta,” Conall argued. “We can't win! Not this way,”</p><p>    “No,” Borra said. “You're wrong, Conall. We have something they didn't plan on. We have her. She holds powers none of us possess,”</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes widened. “No! She is wounded, Borra! Please don’t use her!”</p><p>    “Who are you?!”</p><p>    All of the members of the court turned their heads to see who had spoken. A murmur of surprise went through the court as they saw Maleficent standing there. Dawn gave a soft intake of breath as smile broke onto her face.</p><p>    “You're awake! Oh thank goodness!”</p><p>    Suddenly, Dawn lunged towards her, and Maleficent was so startled she didn't even have time to move. Dawn threw herself at her, her arms wrapping around Maleficent’s shoulders as she buried her face into her neck. Maleficent smiled and wrapped her arms around her wife tightly. Oh how good it felt to wrap her arms around Dawn’s body and hold her against her, bringing her deeper into her embrace, and she clung to her as if she were the only and most important thing in the universe.</p><p>    “I was so worried...” Dawn murmured.</p><p>    “Hush now,” Maleficent whispered softly, and her fingers on began to softly stroke her from her neck down to her back soothingly. “I’m alright... I’m alright...”</p><p>    Maleficent pulled apart from the hug, her smile disappearing as she looked upon the court. “Who are they?”</p><p>    “This is the Court of the Dark Fae,” Dawn explained. “It is a relatively new form of government,” She waved her hand casually as she continued to speak. “The last time I lived here there was only one ruler, Helam. Now they’ve split the leadership four ways. I think that’s more efficient, personally,”</p><p>    Dawn’s small smile faltered as she looked back at her wife. Maleficent bore a look of complete and utter confusion. “You...” Maleficent breathed. “You’ve lived here before?”</p><p>    “Yeah?” Dawn was confused about her question. “Me and my father lived here before he died,”</p><p>    Maleficent’s voice shook. “This was the nest you had talked about?” She had gone eerily still, before she slowly turned to look at Dawn, a look of hurt on her face, but something else… anger.</p><p>    “Did...” Dawn’s voice grew quiet as she realized what was happening. “Did you not know about the Cavernous Nest?”</p><p>    Dawn was in complete and utter shock. She had no idea that Maleficent didn’t know about the nest. Whenever she had talked about the nest that she and her father lived in, Maleficent had nodded like she understood what she was talking about. She thought that it was common knowledge that all Dark Fae were from this one place.</p><p>    “You...” Maleficent walked past Dawn, looking to Conall. “You saved me,”</p><p>    Conall bowed his head slightly. “Come with me,” He walked towards a tunnel behind Maleficent, standing at the mouth of it. “Let me show you who we are,”</p><p>    He then folded his wings, leaned backwards, and fell into the tunnel. Maleficent gulped, hesitant to follow. She folded her wings, leaned forward, and fell. Dawn walked up to the mouth of the tunnel, looking downwards into it as she sighed. It was been so long... so long since she had been here. Would it be the same? Would it be different? If it did change, did it change for the better or for the worse?</p><p>    She took a deep breath, folded her wings, and fell forward with a gasp. As she entered, her shoulder bumped the side of the tunnel as she fell. She closed her eyes, grunting every time she accidentally hit the wall of the tunnel.</p><p>    She felt her wings free up from the tight walls, and wind ruffling the feathers. She opened her eyes slowly as she was greeted with light. She gasped as she looked around in awe. Great cliffs and hills surrounded her with various levels. Some were covered in snow, some with green grass. There were other parts that had the tall canopies of the jungle, and the lush green treetops of the forest. There were dry and barren lands, filled with sand and acacia trees.</p><p>    Dawn recognized it all. She flew upwards, almost hitting the ceiling of the cave. She spread her wings, hovering in one place as she took in all of her surroundings. Tears stung her eyes, old memories filling her.</p><p>    “It’s all the same...” Her voice shook as she smiled.</p><p>    Dawn let out a whooping cry as she leaned backwards, and fell through the air. She fell with such speed that the wind howled in her ears and stung her eyes, the ground racing to meet her faster than even she had thought possible. At the right moment, she snapped open her wings and leveled off, flying as fast as she could.</p><p>    “I’m home!” She cried out as she flew towards the jungle canopies.</p><p>    Dawn landed on the top of a tall tree, grabbing onto the branches as birds flew away from the canopies from the sudden disturbance. She looked up in wonder as a huge group of winged creatures flew above her. They were the Jungle Fae, she realized. Their wings, Dawn realized, made hers look like old rags. Her own wings were beautiful no doubt, but compared to the rest of her kind, they didn’t even compare.</p><p>    She closed her eyes contently, inhaling deeply. The familiar and refreshing smell of rainwater and tropical plant life filled her nose. Wind blew her hair gently to the side as brightly colored butterflies flew all around her. Every second she spent in the jungle, she felt energy flow through her body. She looked out onto the enormous and diverse cave with Fae of all kinds flying about. It was as if a spell had been put on her, and everything seemed magical to her. The Moors may be her home, but this is where she belongs. In the jungle.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. The Stuff of Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>    Ingrith slowly opened her blue eyes as she took in her surroundings. She was in a clearing of a forest, with trees surrounding her, and wildflowers littering the ground around her. The sun bathed the land in glorious light, making the green grass and leaves almost shimmer. It was beautiful indeed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    It was then the Queen realized, that she wasn’t wearing her crown, or any of her heavy jewelry for that matter. Her long golden hair was down, spilling over her shoulders. Her short sleeved dress was made of a very light black fabric which faded to white at the edges, that swayed lazily in the wind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    She saw something move in front of her. She turned her gaze, and she gasped when she saw it. There, in front of her, was Dawn, with her iridescent wings outstretched gracefully behind her. She almost looked like an angel sent from heaven itself. She wore a very short strapless dress made of thin red fabric. Ingrith couldn’t help but travel her gaze from Dawn’s face, and lower than what would be appropriate.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Ingrith...” Dawn’s voice was captivating as she stepped forward.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    The Queen gulped as she stiffened. She simply stared at the beautiful Fae before her, almost unable to breathe, as her body didn't want to work. Her body ached for Dawn so much that she thought she would curl over and die from the force of it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn smirked at the flustered Queen. She reached out and gently touched her face with her index finger. She gasped, snapping her face up to hers, surprised by the touch. When she looked up, their faces were only separated by a centimeter of space. Ingrith’s breath caught in her throat, but she ignored it, instead intently focused on just Dawn’s touch. She had never known how soft she was… how lovely she was...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    The Queen couldn't help herself as she gently stroked Dawn’s face with her hands. Her thumb grazed over the end of the scar on her eye.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “You don’t mind it?” Dawn asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Ingrith shook her head. “No. It makes you look beautiful,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn smiled as she stared into her eyes, enraptured in their wide blue depths. Her head dipped down. Ingrith yelped in surprise when she felt lips kissing and nibbling on her long neck. For a moment she was held there in shock.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Ingrith ran her hands under the small dress Dawn wore, grasping her strong hips. She smirked when she felt rather than heard Dawn gasp into her neck. Ingrith ran her hands up, lightly dragging her nails up her dark skin. Ingrith suddenly gasped and clung to Dawn, her nails digging into her skin as she gently bit at her pale collarbone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Dawn...” The sigh of her name fell from Ingrith’s lips as a prayer, a plea, an exultation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    How could she face down a multitude of enemies, yet this Fae managed to make her weak in the knees? She placed one last delicate kiss to Ingrith’s neck where it met her shoulder before pulling back to look at the Queen.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “You want me,” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. She grasped Ingrith’s jaw firmly, lifting her head so they could meet each other’s eyes. “Don’t you?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “I...” A blush of shame spread across Ingrith’s cheeks as she looked away. She knew that this wasn’t right, that she shouldn’t be feeling this way, but it felt so right. She hesitated for a moment, before she turned her head back around to look at her. The closeness of Dawn, of her lips to hers, was draining her already weakened resolve.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Ingrith nodded slowly at first, but grew faster as she grasped at Dawn’s clothes. “Yes,” The complete honesty of her statement resonating through her voice. “Yes, I want you. I want you so much,” She was shocked by the desperation in her own voice. What shocked her more, is that she meant every word of it. How this Fae had managed to catch her attention was beyond her, especially since they have only interacted a few times. But she was a woman who knew what she wanted.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    A light smirk spread gently across Dawn’s face, sending shivers down Ingrith’s spine. She leaned close to her, the sudden proximity bringing the Queen’s eyes back to hers. She leaned in to her left ear. “Then take it...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Ingrith couldn’t suppress the moan that escaped her lips as Dawn whispered directly in her ear. She groaned as she felt Dawn’s teeth catching on the corner of her jaw and heard the promise of burning passion in her voice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn pressed herself against Ingrith, making her gasp and wrap her legs around her waist. She looked up at the Fae, feeling her warm breath caressing her lips. Emotions were inhibiting Ingrith’s ability to think clearly, or even to think at all. The conflict on her face died down steadily into decision as the war within her exploded like a final cannon-blast. With a flash of intense desire, she slammed her lips into Dawn’s.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Pulling her closer against her, Ingrith deepened the kiss, and Dawn readily folded her arms around her. Her warmth was intoxicating to Ingrith, and she kept pulling her closer, wanting to meld her against her, to sink into her heat and be enveloped by her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Something was racing through Ingrith’s veins, making her heart pound in her ears until all she could comprehend was her closeness. Every part of her wanted to feel Dawn’s body more and more. All she could see was Dawn’s eyes, all she could hear was her breathing as they both took in gasps whenever they parted for air, and all she could feel was her body pressed against her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Through her lust-driven haze, Ingrith barley even noticed that Dawn had gently pushed her by the ribs away from her. Ingrith whimpered as she looked at Dawn, her blue eyes screaming of an inconceivable amount of lust.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “If you do want this...” Dawn’s eyes hardened as she stared at the Queen. “You will have to earn it...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Before Ingrith could say anything, Dawn disappeared from her sight, her body blowing away like dust.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>~~~~~~~~</em>
</p><p>    Ingrith’s eyes opened. Looking around the dark room sharply, it took her a moment to see the illumination of the moon. Her body went rigid when she realized that the bed was empty. Sitting up sharply, Ingrith looked at the empty pillows beside her, to see that Dawn wasn’t beside her as she wanted. She sighed in disappointment as she flopped back down on her large pillow. She looked to the red vase beside her on her nightstand.</p><p>    Yellow marigolds.</p><p>    Ingrith rolled to her side, and reached out to pull a rope. A bell tolled down the hallway. A few moments later, a servant girl rushed into the bedroom.</p><p>    “Your Majesty,” She bowed quickly. “How may I be of service?”</p><p>    Without looking at the girl, Ingrith pointed to the flowers. “Get me... jasmine,”</p><p>    The servant gave her a confused look, but only for a split second. She opened her mouth to ask what she needed jasmine flowers so late at night for, but she kept her mouth shut. Better not question the Queen. It surprised her how desperate the Queen sounded at her request, like her entire life depended on the change of flowers in her red vase.</p><p>    The servant girl bowed her head once again. She turned around and swiftly left the bedroom. Ingrith only had to wait for a few moments, before the girl came rushing back in, with a bundle of white flowers in her hand. She quickly took out the yellow marigolds, and replaced them with jasmine.</p><p>    When Ingrith heard the girl leave, she lunged at the vase. She grabbed a small white flower from it, almost knocking the vase down. She held it close to her chest, taking in the scent as she lay back down on her back. She exhaled, tilting her head backwards and letting out a shuddering breath as she sighed Dawn’s name from her lips.</p><p>    She wanted Dawn. She could not say otherwise anymore. There was no denying that her body longed for her. Her body ached for her, when she thought of the Fae, she felt warm inside and there was an excitement in her veins as her instinct became harder to ignore. A strong yet pleasant feeling grew in her abdomen the more she thought about the Fae. She looked at the flower in her hand. She gently stroked one of the petals with her finger.</p><p>    “Dawn...” She whispered. “You <em>will</em> be mine...” She said this like it wasn’t an offer, but a demand. A fact. She held the flower close to her face, the soft petals brushing against her skin. She clenched the flower’s stem tighter as her eyes hardened. “Be mine... or die,”</p><p>    She looked out of the large window in front of her. She needed Dawn to come back to the castle, and she knew exactly how to do it. She just needed the right window of opportunity.</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p><p>        .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. From Beyond the Grave</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Dawn stood at the edge of a moss-covered cliff, her hair swaying lazily in the wind. This was the very place where she learned to fly, she remembered the day in detail. She felt her new light green dress blow around her legs in the wind.</p><p>    She saw Maleficent and Conall fly towards the amber encased skeleton of the Great Phoenix. The Phoenix was the Dark Fae’s mighty ancestor. Dawn spread her own wings, and took flight towards Maleficent and Conall.</p><p>    As Dawn made her way towards them, Conall spoke to Maleficent about the mighty creature before her.</p><p>    “The Great Phoenix,” Conall said. “It is said the Dark Fey began with her... evolved over centuries,”</p><p>    Just then, Dawn landed some meters away from the two. Conall turned to Maleficent. “You are the last of her descendants,” He said.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes widened. All these years, and she didn’t know that Maleficent was the descendant of The Great Phoenix?! She almost couldn’t believe it.</p><p>    “Her blood is your own,” Conall continued. “You are her. In your hands, you hold the power of life and death... destruction and rebirth. But nature's greatest power is the power of true transformation. You transformed when you raised Aurora. When you found love... in the middle of your pain. I'm asking you to take all of your fury... all of your pain... and not use it.</p><p>    “Help us broker peace with the humans. Because peace... could be the Dark Fey's final transformation. The Moors are our last true nature on earth. And yet you named a human as queen. A daughter you cared for,”</p><p>    Maleficent’s eyes turned cold. “I have no daughter. She has chosen her side,”</p><p>    “Mal...” Dawn said in disbelief, a look of hurt in her eyes. She couldn’t find the words to describe her shock at her wife’s words.</p><p>    “We have just heard,”</p><p>    Everyone turned their heads towards the one who just spoke. Borra landed gracefully on the small hill above them.</p><p>    “There's going to be a wedding at the castle in three days,” Borra said. “Humans will come from all over. That's when we attack. We'll kill the king and queen of Ulstead... and their young prince. Their kingdom will fall. And the Fae will rise again!”</p><p>    “No, Borra!” Conall said. “I will not have our people go needlessly into war!”</p><p>    “Last time I checked,” Borra stepped closer towards the forest Fae. “Conall was not the king of all the Dark Fae. Wasn’t it you that proposed that we overthrew Helam and split leadership?” Borra was only inches away from Conall now. “Don’t you forget, that I am also a leader of the Dark Fae. Just as much as you,”</p><p>    Conall sighed. “Then see that war is not the best choice for our people,”</p><p>    Dawn soon tuned out the conversation of the two leaders. She remembered how a Fae would become the King or Queen back when she was here. A Fae would have to challenge the current leader in a battle of strength. The Fae that won, would be the leader of all of the Dark Fae, and their descendants would be the rulers as well, until they got challenged again.</p><p>    The only bloodline that was considered “royal” to the Fae, was the descendants of Queen Neshtie, the first ruler of the Dark Fae. She lead the Fae to the Cavernous Nest, and to safety. But her line was long wiped out.</p><p>    But the only bloodline more famous than Neshtie’s, was The Phoenix’s line. That was the only <em>true</em> royal bloodline, much more powerful than Neshtie‘s. But Dawn thought that The Phoenix’s line was wiped out as well, much less be married to the last of her descendants.</p><p>    “Why didn’t you tell me?”</p><p>    Dawn turned around. “What?”</p><p>    Maleficent stared at her wife with hard eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about this nest? About The Phoenix?”</p><p>    “But I didn’t know that you were descended from her!” Dawn said.</p><p>    “You could have told me about this nest, at least!” Maleficent’s voice raised.</p><p>    “But I <em>did</em> tell you!” Dawn almost shouted. “I told you that me and my father lived in a nest together before he died! Every time I told you, you nodded your head like you understood! I thought that the Cavernous nest was basic information for every Dark Fae!”</p><p>    “I thought you meant a small cave!” Maleficent shouted back. “Or a tree! A nest only big enough for two people!”</p><p>    “Well it’s not my fault that you don’t know where the Dark Fae came from!” Dawn spat back.</p><p>    Maleficent was beginning to grow angry. “But it is your fault that you never told me! That you assumed I knew everything!” She hung her head. “I just... can’t believe... after all these years with you...” She swallowed. “...you never told me that there were more of us. Do you have any idea what that would have meant to me if I had known that there was more of us out there?”</p><p>    Maleficent’s words hit Dawn like a ton of bricks. She looked up at her wife. “Mal... I...”</p><p>    She never got to finish. Maleficent snapped open her massive brown wings, and took flight, sending a powerful gust of wind towards Dawn. She watched, guilt ridden as her wife flew out of her sight. She knew that Maleficent was right. She shouldn’t have assumed that she already knew. She should have just told her about everything...</p><p>    Dawn sighed. Well, it was getting late. She would talk to her in the morning. When they both had a good night’s rest.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn slept in a burrow in the jungle. It wasn’t as big as she remembered it, but it was still cozy. Some other Fae, Maleficent included, were outside, sitting around bonfires and eating. But Dawn was too tired to go. She needed her rest.</p><p>    Her eyes moved around under her eyelids as her dreamless sleep was beginning to take a shape...</p><p>    <em>“Dawn...”</em></p><p>
  <em>    The jungle Fae stood in a starry plane. The sky was pitch black, only decorated with a few white stars. The ground she stood on was made of white and blue stars. As she stepped on them, the smaller stars would float up towards the pitch black sky.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Dawn...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    She heard her name again. Why did that voice sound so familiar?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Hello?” She called out. “Who’s there?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    She heard a chuckle. “Do you not recognize your own father?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn’s heart stopped. “F...father?”</em>
</p><p><em>    A figure began to take shape in front of her. He had long straight black hair that spilled over his shoulders, light brown skin, and crimson eyes. He had great black horns that curled from the top of his head, and huge colored wings set upon his back</em>. <em>His form was misty, transparent almost as he smiled warmly.</em></p><p>
  <em>    “Hello, Dawn,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn’s eyes filled with tears. “Father!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    She ran over to him and almost tackled him in a hug. Cecil returned the affection with pride.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Daddy...” Dawn whispered. “I missed you so much...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “I missed you too, little one,” Cecil smiled into Dawn’s hair. “You’ve come so far in life. You have looked to the future, and you have tended to it... I am so proud of you,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “How is this possible?” Dawn asked in a whisper as she hugged her father tighter.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Cecil gabbed Dawn gently by the shoulders, and looked her dead in the eyes. “I have come from beyond the grave to tell you something of utmost importance,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn was surprised by the tone of Cecil’s voice. “Alright... what did you need to tell me?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Cecil sighed. “I bring news to you... the last descendant of Queen Neshtie had been found,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn’s eyes widened. “What?! I thought that her line was broken!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Cecil shook his head. “No... I have known who it was for many, many years. I was afraid of what would happen if I had told anyone before the Queen’s descendant came of age,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Why were you afraid?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Back when Helam ruled, he was ruthless, unpredictable... a mad man. He would have killed Neshtie’s heir before they could come to their full power,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Who is her heir?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Cecil hesitated, before taking a breath, and revealing the truth with one simple word.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “You,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn stammered. She was taken back, aghast. “W-what?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Cecil nodded. “Yes. You are the rightful ruler of the Dark Fae,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn’s head spun as she tried to comprehend this new and shocking truth. “Is that why...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “...You have powerful magic?” Cecil finished for her. “Yes,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “But...” She stammered. “I don’t have magic anymore! It went away after the battle with Stefan!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “No... it is still there. It is only hiding. It is scared to come out. Scared to be used again, in fear that something like that would happen again. You just need to find it,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn held her head. This was too much information.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Dawn...” Cecil said. “I need to tell you something else... about your mother...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn’s ears perked up. “My... my mother?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Yes. On the last night of her life, we have been trying to get you back to the Cavernous nest. You see, I had been away from home for about two years. I wanted to see the world, and find more Dark Fae living in the outside world. But alas, I couldn’t find any. But I did find your mother. She was the love of my life. I will never forget her. Then, we had you. Everything was perfect.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “I wanted to bring you and her home. She agreed. But one problem was, she couldn’t fly. So she carried you on the ground while I flew high in the sky to watch over her. But one night, she and her party were ambushed, and she was killed. I had to bring you back to the Cavernous nest myself, leaving your mother behind,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “How was she killed?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Cecil’s face hardened. “By Queen Muriel. She killed her by bashing her head on stone stairs. So in return, I stabbed Muriel in the stomach with her own silver blade,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn had another question, “Why couldn’t my mother fly? Surely she had wings like yourself?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “No,” Cecil looked at his daughter, “Dawn... your mother’s name was Sumna. And she... was human,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn’s heart stopped completely. Time seemed to slow until it eventually stopped, yet she could still feel blood rapidly draining away from her face. Her stomach churned, her legs shook and her whole body ran cold.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “H... h-human?” Dawn struggled to get the word out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Cecil nodded. “Yes. You are half human,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn tried to deny what she had just heard, but there was no denying it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “I know that you are in denial, little one,” Cecil said softly, “But be grateful. Your blood is a blessing,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn looked up at him, as if to say “why?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Look at the scars on your legs,” Dawn did just that. “See the darkened spot? That is not darker tissue like you once thought,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn felt a sense of dread form in the pit of her stomach, “Then... What is it?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Iron,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Dawn’s heart dropped completely as blood drained from her face. Fear painfully stabbed her in the heart.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “It is the leftover iron from the chains that once bound you in King Stefan’s castle. You thought you dug all of the iron out of you flesh, but there was one piece that went too deep. One piece that you couldn’t get out. It is thanks to your human blood, that you have been able to survive this long with this iron deep in your flesh. If you were a full blooded Fae, you would have died months after the battle,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    The dreamscape around Dawn and Cecil began to crack as Dawn’s fear overcame her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “You must wake up, my dear,” Cecil’s form was fading. “Wake up...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Father!” Dawn tried to reach out to him, but he was too far away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Wake up...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    The dreamscape was fading fast... nothing was making sense anymore.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Father!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Wake up...”</em>
</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn woke up in a cold sweat. Her eyes darted over to her leg. Over to the darkened spot.</p><p>    “Iron!” She couldn’t help but shout in fear as she scrambled out of her bed.</p><p>    Her eyes frantically darted left and right, looking for something, <em>anything</em>, that was sharp. Her breathing became frantic. Her heart raced, pounding against her ribcage. Her eyes fell to something lying across the burrow. A small dagger made of sharp bone.</p><p>    She snatched it up, holding it above her leg. Above the darkened spot on her calf. She didn't think. Her body acting on its own. She was overcome by fear and desperation. What happened next was a blur, the memories fuzzy in Dawn’s mind.</p><p>    She placed the blade on her skin, began a circular cut around the darkened spot. Her teeth ground in pain as tears stung her eyes. She almost didn’t go through with it, but she had to get it out. She had to get the iron out of her. She had to.</p><p>    Dawn took a deep breath, and dug the dagger further into her calf. She ground her teeth hard, trying not to scream out loud. Blood seeped onto the floor, staining the green vines a deep crimson.</p><p>    Dawn successfully carved a small portion of the skin on her calf away. Her calf burned like nothing she had ever felt before. Tears streamed down her face as she took multiple deep breaths. She ground her teeth, and dug two fingers into the hole made in her calf. She couldn’t help it anymore. She let out an agonizing scream as her calf made a moist gooey sound as her fingers dug into the bloody hole.</p><p>    She dug as deep as she could go, feeling her bloody calf muscles tense around her fingers, making her feel sick. Finally, amidst all of the blood and muscle, she felt something hard with her fingertips. And no, it wasn't bone. It was metal.</p><p>    Without hesitation, Dawn grabbed hold of the small curved piece of iron with her index finger, and ripped it out of her flesh. She let out a chilling mix between a wail and a scream as blood spurted everywhere. The bloody piece of iron landed on the floor in front of the Fae. Scraps of muscle and flesh were attached to the piece of bloody metal.</p><p>    Dawn heaved for breath, limbs shaking as she looking down upon her handiwork. Blood stained her leg, painting her a deep crimson. She sobbed, letting out a wail of agony. How could she have gone all of those years with this piece of iron inside of her, and not notice?</p><p>    Hot blood and gore coated her leg, dripping down onto the floor made of vines. Dawn’s teary eyes fell onto the bloody piece of iron in front of her. Her hand hovered above the cursed piece of metal. Her fingertips touched the metal’s now slippery surface. But to her shock, it did not burn.</p><p>    She picked it up off of the floor, placing it into the palm of her hand. She wiped the gore off of the metal with her light green dress, staining it red. She touched the now clean piece of iron.</p><p>    It still did not burn.</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes widened as she realized... iron didn’t burn her any longer. Could it be... that her human blood had allowed her to build up an immunity to iron? Was she now immune to the burn of iron?</p><p>    Dawn began to move her leg, but she let out an agonized cry as a sharp pain shot up her calf. Her muscles tensed, making blood spurt out of the gore-filled hole in her calf, splashing her face with the dark hot liquid.</p><p>    Her body seized at the unexpected trauma. Her entire body tensed up, making blood once again gush out of the wound like a geyser. She clutched her leg, getting blood all over her hands as she let out a loud, unending melody of pain.</p><p>    “Dawn!”</p><p>    Through her now hazy vision, Dawn looked out of the opening of the burrow. It was Udo and Deshta, she realized. They were flying with haste towards her burrow.</p><p>    Deshta couldn’t believe her eyes. Dawn, one of her own, was laying on the floor of her burrow. Her leg was gushing blood, and her hands and face were covered in the dark red liquid. Beside Dawn, lay a dagger made of bone, covered in gore.</p><p>    “What happened?!” Udo demanded to know as he helped Dawn up to her feet.</p><p>    Dawn let out a yell of pain as she shifted all of her weight onto her good leg.</p><p>    “I had to...” Dawn choked out. “Iron... there was iron... in me... I had to... get it... out...”</p><p>    Deshta’s eyes widened as she saw the piece of iron lying on the burrow floor. Dawn wasn’t lying, that much was for sure.</p><p>    “She needs medical attention,” Deshta said. “Now,”</p><p>    The tundra Fae nodded in agreement as the two Fae leaders took one of Dawn’s arms over each of their shoulders. The two leaders aided Dawn in flying to the infirmary. Dawn felt like such a burden as she was barley flying at all.</p><p>    When they finally made it to the infirmary, Dawn was immediately laid down. She heard voices talking hurriedly, but she payed no attention to them. A cloth was gently placed onto her wound, sending a shot of pain through her leg. She felt someone pushing the cloth on her wound.</p><p>    Her back arched as she screamed in pain. Her leg tensed up painfully as she clutched the ground beneath her with her fists. Unable to catch her breath, she blacked out.</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. The Loss of Leaders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    In the Moors, a legion of human soldiers walked as quietly as they could through the dark realm of the Moors. They were lead by Queen Ingrith herself. No one had expected the Queen to partake in anything like this, but no one dared question her.</p><p>    “Stay alert, men,” Percival, the captain of the guard said.</p><p>    “What if the winged ones return?” A soldier asked to no one in particular.</p><p>    “Oh, they will,” Ingrith said. “I’m counting on it,”</p><p>    “How can you be so sure, Your Majesty?”</p><p>    Ingrith paused and looked at the soldiers. “They have to,” And even quieter, she added: “<em>She</em> has to,”</p><p>    The legion came across an open field, not a fairy creature in sight. Glowing red Tomb Bloom flowers were scattered across the dark plane of grass like stars in the night sky.</p><p>    The peasant who had brought the flower to Lickspittle in the first place, nodded his head to Percival. “This is where I found them,”</p><p><strong>    “</strong>Excellent,” Percival said.</p><p>    Ingrith smiled darkly. “Take the Tomb Blooms,”</p><p>    Percival turned to his men, “Get to work!”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Dawn groaned. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep, but that really didn’t matter to her at the moment. Her leg stiff all over, and any attempt to stretch and relieve that stiffness only made her realize how sore her leg was. She was lying on something soft but uneven, which was only moderately comfortable at best.</p><p>    “How are you feeling?”</p><p>    Dawn turned and looked in the area near where her head had been lying. There, looking back with an honest and relieved smile, was Borra.</p><p>    “Like shit…” Dawn replied wryly as she laid her head back down.</p><p>    Borra chuckled dryly. “Well, you did go through a lot,”</p><p>    Dawn scoffed. “Nah, I’ve been through worse, trust me,”</p><p>    The tropical Fae sat up completely. She saw that her calf was wrapped up in white bandages. There were orange-red dots where blood had oozed through the gauze padding.</p><p>    “What happened the other night?” Borra asked with worry.</p><p>    “My...” Dawn swallowed. “My father came to me last night,”</p><p>    Borra’s eyes went wide. “Your father came to you from beyond the grave?”</p><p>    She nodded. “Yes. In the form of a dream. He told me...” She hesitated. What would happen if she told anyone her lineage? It would destroy the form of government that had been established. She couldn’t do that! Instead, she skipped over that past, and told Conall everything else.</p><p>    “He told me... that I still had some iron left in me from the battle with King Stefan,” Dawn explained. “I had iron chains bound to my legs, which had soon imbedded themselves into my very flesh and muscle. I thought I had gotten it al out... but I was wrong.</p><p>    “So,I cut my leg open, and got the iron out of me. I don’t have to worry about it any longer,”</p><p>    Borra looked at her in disbelief. “How you had managed to survive this long with iron in your body is beyond me,”</p><p>    Dawn hesitated once more. What would happen if she told people that she was half human? No one would like that. What would she say if someone asked her how she had managed to live this long?</p><p>    Thankfully, she didn’t have to. Because suddenly, a needle seemed to pierce her very soul. She gasped as lightheadedness took over her. She held her head as she tried to regain her grip on reality.</p><p>    “What’s wrong?” Borra asked with immense worry in his voice.</p><p>    “The Moors...” Dawn breathed. She looked at Borra with dire seriousness in her eyes. “Something’s wrong,”</p><p>    Dawn stood up. As she did, a sharp pain shot up her leg. She winced as she shifted her weight onto her good leg. Before Borra could protest, Dawn spread her wings, and took off.</p><p>    As Dawn flew out of the Cavernous nest, she saw another pair of Fae in front of her, about half a mile away. It was Conall and Maleficent, she recognized them.</p><p>    Unbeknownst to Dawn, the other three leaders of the Dark Fae were following in her wake. Borra, Udo, and Deshta were following Dawn, wondering where she, Conall, and Maleficent were going.</p><p>    They were worried that humans were the ones attacking The Moors. If something was wrong with the Moors, then without a doubt it was human causing the trouble. And if humans were in fact there, the three leaders were going to help fight back against them if they dared to attack any of them.</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>    Maleficent flew as fast as she could towards the Moors. Something was terribly wrong. She felt it in her soul. After many miles of lying, she finally came across the Moors.</p><p>    She landed on a branch in a tree. She stared in horror at the scene in front of her. All of the Tomb Bloom flowers had been ripped up from the ground, leaving nothing. She heard Conall land on the branch to her left.</p><p>    “This is where we bury our dead,” She said. Her voice was filled with sorrow and disbelief. “They've destroyed it,”</p><p>    “This is what the humans do,” A voice that didn’t belong to Conall said. Borra landed on another branch on Maleficent’s right side. “They're nothing but locusts that swarm the earth. We have to stop them,” He turned to Maleficent. “You spent years caring for a human... now it's time to care for your own,”</p><p>    “FIRE!”</p><p>    Multiple twangs of bowstrings cut the silent air of night. Conall cried out in pain as he clutched his side, and fell off of the tree. He landed on the ground with a grunt.</p><p>    “Conall!” Borra shouted. With anger burning in his eyes, Borra used his magic, and sent multiple vines and roots towards the soldiers who had shot Conall.</p><p>    Maleficent flew towards Conall. She gathered him in her arms, and made a thick sphere of roots around them, protecting them from the soldiers shooting small iron spheres at them.</p><p>    Borra struck a soldier down with his fist, his iron armor burning the Fae. But he did not flinch. When his back was turned, a soldiers steadily aimed at the back of his head.</p><p>    “No!”</p><p>    A white mass collided with the soldier, knocking him to the ground hard. Udo spread his white wings as he charged at another soldier taking aim. Deshta swooped in, picking up a soldier from the ground, and dropping him from a great height.</p><p>    “Deshta!”</p><p>    Deshta turned around to see Dawn flying towards her. Dawn swooped past Deshta, and took out a armored human behind her, about to shoot her in the head.</p><p>    “It almost had you,” Dawn smiled. “You alright?”</p><p>    Deshta nodded. “Yes,” She bowed her head in thanks. “Thank y-”</p><p>    A thick rope with two big and heavy iron spheres at the end of it lashed out from the darkness. It wrapped itself around the jungle Fae leader’s neck. She choked loudly as she was pulled to he ground.</p><p>    “Deshta!” Dawn cried. Before she could help her, a soldier shot an iron ball straight at her. She jumped back, barely missing the iron ball careening towards her. The ball missed her head, and imbedded itself in the tree behind her.</p><p>    Udo screamed as a horde of humans pinned him to the ground. They grabbed his wings roughly, and tied them tightly against his back.</p><p>    Queen Ingrith watched from the darkness as her men apprehended the two Fae. She watched Dawn desperately try to save them, but to no avail. Oh, how Ingrith loved seeing Dawn again. She was just as beautiful as the last time she saw her. But this was the first time she was her display of immense strength. She was so strong. Even with her injured leg wrapped in gauze, she was still fighting hard. Oh, how Ingrith loved that.</p><p>    Dawn watched in horror as the two leaders of the Fae were being taken away. From the darkness, a woman dressed in white emerged. Her crown lay proudly on her head as she pointed at Dawn.</p><p>    “I am holding open court tomorrow!” Ingrith shouted. “If you want to see them again. Then you be at my castle by the time the sun rises!” She looked Dawn directly in the eyes. “Not any of your other leaders,” She pointed at Dawn, “You. I want you, Dawn,”</p><p>    Dawn’s eyes widened in horror as the Queen and her men disappeared back into the darkness of the woods.</p><p>    “No...” Dawn whispered. It all happened so fast. She almost didn’t have time to process it...</p><p>    Borra looked on in disbelief. “They’re gone...” His eyes remained wide with shock. “Udo and Deshta are gone,”</p><p>    The pair were snapped out of it when they heard a groan. They turned around, and saw that Conall was injured greatly. His stomach was weeping dark blood. He was pierced with an iron ball.</p><p>    “Conall!” Borra cried as he rushed to his side.</p><p>    He almost snatched him from Maleficent’s arms as he took him in his own. Seeing Conall like this drew tears from Borra’s eyes. “No, no, no, Conall!” He grew hysterical, and desperation entered his voice. “Please… please… Conall, please... don’t go...” He looked up at Dawn and Maleficent, tears streaming down his face. “We can’t let him… please, he needs help! I can’t...” Borra was crying openly at this point.</p><p>    Maleficent put a hand on Borra’s shoulder. “We’re here, Borra,”</p><p>    Borra smiled through the panicked tears on his face. Maleficent helped Borra carry Conall back to the Cavernous nest. Dawn was about to follow them, but she saw something glimmer in the floor. She gently picked it up. It was a sheather iron sword, she realized. It must had been misplaced by one of the soldiers in their hurry to get away. As expected, it did not burn her.</p><p>    She tucked it away under her clothes, and took flight. Dawn was soon close behind Maleficent, Borra and the injured Conall as they flew back home. She knew what she needed to do to get Udo and Deshta back... but she was afraid to do it.</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Challenge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Borra had gathered the Fae into the council room. Conall was greatly injured. Magic was the only thing keeping him alive at this point. Maleficent had volunteered to watch over him while he recovered. Now that Borra was the only remaining leader left, he called the shots now.</p><p>    “Conall wanted peace... and they filled him with iron!” He screamed in rage. “They took Udo and Deshta from us! Now, we will have our war. Our fight begins now!”</p><p>    The crowd before him cheered in agreement, grunting and whooping as they rallied to Borra.</p><p>    “NO!”</p><p>    The chaos stopped. Borra looked to see who had spoken.</p><p>    “No, Borra,” Dawn said as she stepped up towards him. She was dressed in a white dress that went to her knees, and a sleeveless brown leather vest. Around her waist, was the iron sword she picked up in secret in the forest. Many Fae gasped in surprise when they saw the weapon.</p><p>    “War will be the last thing we do,” Dawn declared. “War will only be a last resort. Queen Ingrith offered us a chance to get Udo and Deshta back. If I go to the human palace-”</p><p>    “No!” Borra growled. “You are not a leader of the Dark Fae, Dawn! You do not get to decide-”</p><p>    “I have <em>every right</em>, Borra!” Dawn snapped. She stepped up on the pedestal with Borra. She turned to her people. “I have a message from my father Cecil! He has visited me from beyond the grave!”</p><p>    A flurry of gasps and whispers went around the room.</p><p>    “I am half human!” Dawn announced. “My mother was the human woman Sumna! It is because of my human blood, that iron no longer burns my flesh!”</p><p>    The crowd reacted immediately. They began to talk amongst one another in shock.</p><p>    “There is more!” Dawn stood tall. “I am the descendent of Queen Neshtie!” She declared.</p><p>    The crowd erupted into immediate chaos. Many called Dawn a liar, saying that she was a blasphemer.</p><p>    “Enough!” Borra shouted. He turned to Dawn. “Even if what you say is true, you cannot be Queen! That form of government is long gone!”</p><p>    Dawn chuckled. “Do you not remember the laws of old? Those who wish to become leader, must challenge the current one. Since Udo and Deshta are gone, and Conall is injured...” Dawn drew her iron sword, and pointed it at Borra. “I challenge you, Borra, leader of the desert Fae,”</p><p>    Everyone stared in awe. It was amazing to see a Fae not be burned by iron.</p><p>    Borra looked at Dawn dead in the eye. “A challenge it shall be, then,”</p><p>    The crowd immediately backed away, leaving room for the two Fae to fight. Many grew nervous. A challenge for leadership has been unheard of in the last century.</p><p>    Borra drew his own weapon. A long, jagged sword made of bone. He pointed it towards Dawn, indicating that he was ready.</p><p>    Borra launched himself at Dawn while swinging his sword of bone in a wide arc. Dawn just barely managed to block the blow, the clang of sword against sword echoing across the walls. Borra then attempted a thrust, making Dawn spread her wings. With a single powerful flap, she threw herself back, dodging the blade and putting more distance between herself and Borra.</p><p>    Borra pointed his sword of bone at Dawn. “Why do you wish to become Queen? For the power? For the glory?”</p><p>    “No,” Dawn readied her iron blade. “For the people,”</p><p>    Borra growled and lunged forward. Dawn was just barely able to raise her sword to block a downward swing from Borra, and the two swords clashed with a resounding clang.</p><p>    Borra pressed his blade against Dawn’s in an attempt to break through the defense with sheer force. “You are <em>not</em> what is best for our people,” He growled.</p><p>    Dawn buckled momentarily under the weight of Borra’s attack. She glared up at Borra. “Neither are you,”</p><p>    A careful turn of her blade sent Borra’s sword down into the floor. Dawn then proceeded to bring the pommel of her sword around to strike Borra in the throat.</p><p>    The sudden thrust of the sword’s blunt hilt into his neck caused Borra to stumble back, coughing and wheezing from the blow. His skin burned from the touch of metal.</p><p>    With a growl, Borra lashed out, springing into the air and soaring across the room while yelling in a furious rage. He brought his sword beneath him and swiped at Dawn as he flew by. Dawn dodged to the left and spun herself around just in time to see Borra land and resume his ground attack. Sparks soared into the air as their blades clashed again and again.</p><p>    The pair was evenly matched for a time, but then Borra saw an opening. Dawn swung too wide, overextended her attack, and Borra seized the opportunity. As quickly as his body would let him, he flapped his wings, keeping him airborne. In one second, he took aim, and kicked.</p><p>    He hit Dawn in the side, and the force of the blow sent her flying across the room. Her sword flew from her grasp. She would have likely crashed into a wall, but with a flutter of her wings, Dawn was able to right herself. She pressed her feet into the floor, skidded to a stop. Her breathing was labored as the pain of the kick pulsed throughout her body.</p><p>    Dawn took a few deep, gasping breaths to try and recover more quickly, but it was already too late. When she looked up, she saw Borra standing over her and felt his blade press against her neck.</p><p>    “Yield!” Borra growled as he pushed her against the wall.</p><p>    The pair stared at each other for a long time, both still as stone. All it would take for Borra to end Dawn’s life was a twitch of his sword made of bone. Then, something happened that Borra did not expect. Dawn’s eyes began to glow. Her red eye began to leak red smoke and her blind eye began to leak white smoke. She bared her teeth as she growled.</p><p>    “NEVER!”</p><p>    A strong and sudden pulse of red magic sent Borra back, crashing into the wall. His sword burst apart, shattering like glass beneath the force of Dawn’s blow.</p><p>    The magic released from Dawn knocked Borra off his feet. He rolled and bounced across the floor, eventually coming to a stop at the wall. Shards of the shattered blade had speckled him with small cuts, and his breathing was labored as the pain of the powerful magic pulsed throughout his body.</p><p>    He was met with the tip of an iron blade in between his eyes. Dawn looked at him with glowing eyes. Red mist-like magic swirled around her entire form. Her wings were spread threateningly as she glared at Borra.</p><p>    Borra hung his head. Begrudgingly, he held his hand up, signaling his defeat.</p><p>    Dawn turned to the crowd watching. She had expected some form of noise. Maybe some shouts of protest or anger, but no. Everyone was absolutely silent.</p><p>    Dawn’s magic died off as she sheathed her iron blade. She clasped Borra’s hand and hoisted him up to his feet.</p><p>    “Believe me, I would not do this if I had any other choice,” Dawn announced to the crowd before her. “But I needed to get this done,” The turned to Borra. “Borra. You, Conall, Udo, and Deshta still have your ranks,”</p><p>    Borra looked up at Dawn in surprise.</p><p>    “I will not remain Queen for long,” Dawn assured the crowd. “Only long enough until this whole ordeal is over. Then things will be back to the way things were,” She turned to Borra, a small smile on her lips. “I promise,”</p><p>    “But for now...” She said, “I will go to the human palace, and retrieve Udo and Deshta!”</p><p>    A sigh of relief swept over the crowd.</p><p>    “I need two escorts to come with me,” Dawn said.</p><p>    At first, no one said anything.</p><p>    “I’ll go,”</p><p>    To Dawn’s surprise, it was Borra who spoke. The new Queen nodded in appreciation.</p><p>    “Me too,”</p><p>    A female tundra Fae stepped up. Her shoulders were broad, and her body was muscular. Her white hair was tied up in an intricate braid.</p><p>    “What is your name?” Dawn asked.</p><p>    “Leea, Your Majesty,” The tundra Fae bowed.</p><p>    “Stand up, Leea,” Dawn said. Leea did just that.</p><p>    “Come,” Dawn said. “We must hurry. We have to be there when the sun rises,”</p><p>    And with that, the three Fae took flight, towards the dreaded castle of Ulsted.</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p><p>     .</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. The Court</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>           The sun was just peaking over the horizon, painting the sky a gorgeous bright pink and orange. The Queen and the two other Fae flew towards the human castle of Ulsted. As they drew closer, from afar they saw many human noblemen and noblewomen pouring into the castle for Ingrith’s open court.</p><p>           After a few moments, Dawn, Borra and Leea landed on a paved path in the huge courtyard. As the sun rose, the three Fae walked towards the castle on the cobblestone path. The nobles that had not gotten into the castle yet, gasped in fear. They moved as far away from the Fae as they could.</p><p>           Dawn payed no attention to them. Her eyes were fixed on the palace gates. She was going to get Udo and Deshta back from those walls. As Borra and Leea flanked her, they made their way to the massive gates. Dawn’s hand rested on the hilt of her sheathed iron blade strapped to her hip.</p><p>           The Fae reached the gates, and the terrified guards opened them inwards. The great hall was made of white stone. Six giant white stone pillars stood on each side of the room. The hall was filled with nobles, all dressed in fine clothes and jewelry. Their chattering stopped immediately as the Fae Queen and her entourage entered the hall.</p><p>           Queen Ingrith sat on her great white and silver throne. She wore the finest dress she had in her wardrobe. Her royal blue dress dragged behind her, as well as her deep purple mantle. The mantle was held by a silver chain, decorating the Queen’s chest. Her silver crown was atop of her golden hair, which spilled over her shoulders freely.</p><p>           She stood up from her throne, her arms outstretched. “Ah, Dawn,” She smiled. “I was worried that you wouldn’t come,”</p><p>           Dawn spread her wings to their full extent. “Yes. I am here to retrieve Udo and Deshta,”</p><p>           Ingrith nodded to her right as she flicked her index finger up. On cue, soldiers shoved two figures into the room. Udo and Deshta were thrown onto the floor, their arms, legs, and wings tied tightly with rope.</p><p>           “Let them go,” Borra growled.</p><p>           “Not quite,” Ingrith looked down at Borra. She walked down the stairs leading to her throne. Her silk purple mantle dragged regally behind her. She looked straight at Dawn. “We have to discuss negotiations, Dawn,”</p><p>           Leea’s eyes grew hard. “Now, if you think—!”</p><p>           Dawn raised up her hand, signaling that Leea should remain silent. “No, Leea. It’s okay. I will talk with Queen Ingrith,”</p><p>           Leea nodded her head, “Yes, Your Majesty,”</p><p>           Dawn looked at Borra and Leea. “Don’t do anything stupid,”</p><p>           They nodded their heads. Dawn turned around, following Ingrith’s beckoning. The two went into a room, and Ingrith closed the door shut behind her.</p><p>           The room was a stark white. It was round in shape, and surrounded by many pillars. The black tile floor had white veins running through it, making it look almost cracked.</p><p>           “So,” Dawn went straight to business. “Let’s go over negotiations,”</p><p>           Ingrith smirked. “So... you’re Queen Dawn now?”</p><p>           “Only for a while,” Dawn answered.</p><p>           Ingrith nodded. “I like it. It suits you,”</p><p>           Dawn didn’t know why, but she felt herself almost squirm under Ingrith’s stark blue gaze.</p><p>           Dawn cleared her throat, shaking off the feeling. “Why have you invited me to your court? Why do I have to negotiate for Udo and Deshta’s freedom? Do I have something you want?”</p><p>           Ingrith hummed to herself as she removed her purple mantle. She hung it onto a wooden rack nearby. There was a reason Ingrith decided to wear this blue dress. The silk dress had a deep neckline, exposing her collarbones and cleavage. She let her hair spill down over her shoulders.</p><p>           “Yes, Dawn,” Ingrith’s eyes once again roamed across Dawn’s body as she tried to read the human’s expression. Dawn felt uncomfortable, and Ingrith used this to her advantage. She had the Fae right where she wanted her.</p><p>           “You do, in fact, have something I want,” She said as she walked behind the Fae.</p><p>           Ingrith’s fingers brushed Dawn’s shoulder. Her hand traveled down to her collarbones, and soon down her arms, and rested on her hips. She could feel Dawn’s wings against her chest, the vibrant colorful feathers tickling her nose. She took in an audible deep breath of Dawn’s scent of fresh water and jasmine.</p><p>           Dawn’s jaw clenched as she tried to remain as stoic as possible. She would be damned if she let Ingrith saw that she was making her uncomfortable, even a little frightened. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.</p><p>           “Here’s my offer,” Ingrith whispered directly into Dawn’s ear. The Fae was beginning to feel sick as the human Queen invaded her space.</p><p>           “I will release Udo and Deshta...” Ingrith’s hands traveled up Dawn’s stomach. She could feel the human’s warm breath on her neck, making her wince. “If you stay here with me...”</p><p>           Without warning, Ingrith roughly grabbed Dawn’s breasts. The Fae gasped. That was the last straw. Suddenly, she yelled as she elbowed Ingrith hard in the gut. The Queen grunted and stumbled back, clutching her stomach.</p><p>           In a flash, Dawn whipped her sword out its sheath. She pointed it straight at the stunned Queen. She ground her teeth as she glared at her.</p><p>           “Don’t you <em>dare</em> touch me,” She hissed through clenched teeth.</p><p>           Ingrith looked shocked at Dawn’s new weapon. She slowly stood up straight, still clutching her stomach. “Ah... I see iron does not affect you any longer,” She coughed as she smirked. She took a step closer. “But it is not wise to threaten me,”</p><p>           Dawn jutted her sword forward. “And why is that? What makes you think that I won’t kill you now?”</p><p>           Ingrith smiled. “If you do... you’ll have nowhere left to go. If my people heard that you, a guest no less, killed their Queen unarmed. Well...” She stepped closer. “You wouldn’t make it out of the courtyard,”</p><p>           Dawn wanted nothing more than to stab Ingrith in the chest. Just to finish her off and end her endless taunting. But, she did have a point. If she did kill her, she would endanger the other Fae’s lives. Dawn sighed, and begrudgingly lowered her sword.</p><p>           “So, Queen Dawn,” Ingrith drew closer until the two were chest to chest. Dawn kept her composure, staring at the human with a cold hard glare. She couldn’t stand the look in Ingrith’s eyes. It made her feel cornered. It felt demeaning.</p><p>           “What is your decision?”</p><p>~~~~~~~~</p><p>           The four Fae waited for Dawn in the large courtroom. The nobles were as still as stone as they looked at the Fae in fear. Udo and Deshta were still in their tight bonds. They didn’t struggle, knowing that it would put the other Fae’s lives in danger. All of their fates were in the hands of the human Queen of Ulsted now.</p><p>           The doors to the room opened. Ingrith stepped out of the room, clasping her purple mantle onto her shoulders. Dawn trailed behind her.</p><p>           “An agreement has been made,” Ingrith’s calm voice spoke out. She and Dawn stepped forward, and all eyes turned onto them.</p><p>           Dawn swallowed a lump in her throat as she regained her composure. “If Udo and Deshta are to be set free...” Her voice was hoarse from holding back her sobs. She cleared her throat. “...I must stay in the kingdom of Ulsted,”</p><p>           A murmur of surprise went through the room. Leea gave a soft intake of breath, and she and Borra exchanged glances as they looked back at Dawn, their eyes widening in surprise and horror.</p><p>           “Your Majesty...” Leea said. “You... you can’t!”</p><p>           “I must,” Dawn said firmly. “It is the only way to save Udo and Deshta,”</p><p>           “But-”</p><p>           “No ‘<em>but’s’,</em> Leea!” Dawn almost snapped at her.</p><p>           Even Udo and Deshta’s faces were full of shock at Dawn’s announcement. They were grateful that Dawn had set them free, but at what cost?</p><p>           Ingrith snapped her fingers loudly and pointed to Undo and Deshta. Her guards nodded as they walked towards the pair of bound Fae. They untied the ropes binding them. They both stood up, stretching out their sore limbs and wings.</p><p>           “Now,” Ingrith commanded. “All of you leave. And don’t try anything,”</p><p>           Borra glared icily at Ingrith, wanting nothing more than to attack her. He looked at Dawn. She shook her head, mouthing the word ‘no.’</p><p>           Borra begrudgingly turned around, allowing Leea, Udo and Deshta to leave before he did. Borra took one last look at Dawn over his shoulder. His eyes went hard with cold determination as he muttered one word...</p><p>           <em>“No,”</em></p><p>Suddenly, vines ripped out from the floor, scattering chunks of tile and concrete everywhere. Borra extended his hand towards the guards, ensnaring them in the roots and vines, making them immobile. The vines snapped at Ingrith as they coiled around her. She thrashed around as she tried to free herself.</p><p>           “What are you doing?!” Dawn screamed.</p><p>           “We’re not leaving you here!” Borra said. He spread his wings. “Come on!”</p><p>           All of the Fae took flight, and shot right out of an open castle window. Dawn was behind the rest of the Fae, making sure they all got out safely. What was Borra thinking? That was too risky, and frankly, rather stupid. Borra had made a hasty split second decision that could have cost everyone their lives.</p><p>           <em>SNAP!</em></p><p>           Dawn turned her head to the side abruptly, the loud crashing noise drawing her attention. For a moment, it seemed like the sound hadn’t come from anywhere, but, as Dawn listened, another snap reached her ears. That second snap was followed a few moments later by something bursting through the doors of the castle gates below. A soldier came out, covered in broken vines. He must have made his way out of Borra’s vines. The soldier looked up, and took aim with a crossbow.</p><p>           A sharp pain tore through Dawn’s right wing as she screamed in agony. She recoiled midair. Pure pain flashed through her face as she struggled to force her wings to give one final flap. Her heavy eyes were shrouded in tears, squinting shut as she could no longer stay in the air.</p><p>           Alas, gravity took her whole as her wings stopped working. She plummeted downwards, and crashed into the paved ground of the town. She skidded to a halt as she groaned in pain.</p><p>           “Dawn!” Borra landed by her side.</p><p>           There were bloody scrapes all over her body, and she had bitten through her bottom lip. Blood flowed freely down her chin and down her neck. Her right wing lay limp to the side. An arrow had pierced straight through it.</p><p>           “Come on,” Borra grunted as he helped Dawn to her feet. “We have to get back,”</p><p>           Dawn turned her head behind her as she heard the growing shouts of Ingrith’s guards coming closer.</p><p>           “Borra,” Dawn said. “I can’t fly. You have to go,”</p><p>           “What? No, no, I’m not leaving you here,”</p><p>           Dawn grabbed his shoulder. “If you don’t go, they’ll kill you. They’ll kill you all,” She hissed in pain as she moved her right wing. “Borra, I’ll survive here for as long as I can. I have to give my wing time to heal. If I’m not back in four weeks...” She hesitated. “Assume I’m dead,”</p><p>           “No, Dawn,” Borra said firmly. “There has to be another way,”</p><p>           “There’s no time!” Dawn pushed him away. “Go,”</p><p>           Borra didn’t move.</p><p>           “Go,”</p><p>           He still hesitated.</p><p>           “GO!!” Dawn’s hands sparked with red magic.</p><p>           A cloud of red pushed Borra into the air, forcing him to take flight. She looked to the sky, a sigh of relief escaping her lips when the figures of Borra, Leea, Deshta and Udo were nothing more than specks in the blue sky.</p><p>           The yells and shouts of Ingrith’s soldiers grew closer. Dawn snapped her head backwards, her eyes widened in fear. In a mad panic, she scrambled to her feet, her injured wing dragging uselessly behind her. She dashed across the stone street, looking for someplace to hide.</p><p>           Her eyes darted around, until they finally fell on an old abandoned mill. She raced inside, shutting the door behind her.</p><p>           Dawn hid herself in the darkest corner of the old wooden mill she could find. She listened as the soldiers grew nearer.</p><p>           “I saw her crash!” Dawn heard Ingrith shout in frustration. “Where is she?!” A pause. “Look for her!” The Queen barked. “I want every corner of this kingdom checked! Anyone seen helping, or even speaking to Dawn, will be punished!”</p><p>           Dawn felt her stomach drop. Everyone was going to be looking for her, and her wing was never going to heal as quickly as she wished. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t exactly blend in with the humans,</p><p>           Her eyes fell on a black cloak hanging from a hook on the wall near her. She snatched it up, and wrapped it around her form. Although it didn’t cover her horns, it did cover her wings quite well. She just had to hope and pray to whatever god was out there that her wing would heal just enough for her to escape.</p><p>             .</p><p>             .</p><p>             .</p><p>             .</p><p>             .</p><p>             .</p><p>             .</p><p>             .</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>